British Rapper Yung Filly Faces Retrial for Rape in Australia

British social media star and rapper Andrés Felipe Valencia Barrientos, known professionally as Yung Filly, will face a retrial in Australia on three rape charges. Prosecutors announced the decision on August 21, 2026, following a split jury verdict in July during proceedings at the District Court of Western Australia in Perth.

Prosecution Pursuit and Court Timeline

The 31-year-old artist, who was born in Cali, Colombia, and raised in the United Kingdom, learned of the prosecution’s decision on August 21, 2026. According to reporting by the Associated Press and Infobae, prosecutor Danielle Clarke informed Judge Linda Black that the complainant is willing to testify again in the upcoming proceedings. Barrientos previously underwent an eight-day trial in July concerning an alleged incident at a Perth hotel in September 2024 following a musical performance.

During that initial trial, a jury found Barrientos guilty of two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm against the woman, who was 20 years old at the time. The jury acquitted him of strangulation and three other counts of sexual penetration without consent. However, the panel failed to reach a majority verdict of at least 10 jurors on the remaining three rape charges, leaving those specific allegations unresolved.

Legal Proceedings and Bail Conditions

Judge Black instructed defense and prosecution counsel to confer regarding whether a new judge should oversee the retrial and whether the case should be tried by a judge alone or before a new jury. No specific date has been set for the retrial proceedings. Barrientos will be sentenced for his assault convictions only after the conclusion of the new trial.

The artist has remained on bail since his initial arrest in October 2024 in Brisbane, where his Australian tour concluded. Court-mandated bail conditions have restricted his travel, requiring him to seek judicial authorization to leave Australia. Additional restrictions included a 100,000 Australian dollar bond, a prohibition against contacting the complainant, and a ban on publishing case-related material on social media networks.

Background of the Allegations

The legal case stems from events on September 28, 2024, when Barrientos performed at a club in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth. Prosecutors alleged during the July trial that an initial consensual encounter changed when the complainant withdrew her consent out of fear for her safety, after which the assaults and alleged sexual violations occurred. Defense attorneys maintained throughout the initial proceedings that all sexual activity was entirely consensual.

Barrientos was arrested days after the incident on the east coast of Australia. Prior to his legal troubles, he built a large online following through YouTube content and previous broadcasting work with the BBC. The upcoming retrial will determine the final legal outcome concerning the three remaining undecided counts.