British YouTuber, rapper Yung Filly charged with rape in Australia
A British YouTuber and rapper known as Yung Filly has been charged with raping and choking a woman in a hotel room following an Australian music performance.
The 29-year-old, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was freed on bail when he appeared on Thursday on several charges in a court in Perth, the west coast city where police allege his crimes were allegedly committed on Septtember 28.
His bail conditions include that he remain in Western Australia state, doesn't contact his alleged victim and doesn't post about the case on social media.
He was ordered to surrender his passport and to report to police daily. His surety was set at 100,000 Australian dollars (USD 67,400).
Prosecutors had opposed bail because of a risk that he would flee the state.
His lawyer, Seamus Rafferty, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Barrientos is currently touring Australia and was arrested in the east coast city of Brisbane on Tuesday, a police statement said. The Colombia-born entertainer, who has 1.8 million followers on YouTube, was extradited back to Perth on Wednesday.
His Australian tour began in Perth and travelled to Melbourne and Sydney before it was scheduled to end in Brisbane.
Police allege he assaulted a woman aged in her 20s in a hotel room after he had performed in a Perth nightclub.
He is charged with four counts of rape, three counts of assault causing bodily harm and one count of impeding the woman's normal breathing or circulation by applying pressure to her neck, police said.
Barrientos started his YouTube career in 2013 and music career in 2017. He has also hosted or appeared in several television programs.
He won a MOBO Award, an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in “music of black origin”, in the Best Media Personality category in 2021.
