The British rapper Young Filly has pleaded not guilty to multiple sexual assault charges in Western Australia.
Young Filly, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, appeared before Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where he entered a not guilty plea. According to court documents, he pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, one of strangulation and four counts of sexual penetration without consent.
Barrientos, 29, was arrested in October in Brisbane, before being extradited to Perth. According to The Western Australian, when Barrientos left the court, he refused to answer questions from press but did say that it was a ‘beautiful day.' Barrientos will appear before the state's higher district court on 13 June.
Barrientos allegedly sexually assaulted a woman aged in her 20s in his hotel room after he performed at a venue in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth, on Saturday 28 September. He was in Australia touring his music at the time of the alleged offences.
Photos of the woman’s injuries were provided by the prosecution, who told the magistrate, ‘No ordinary person can consent in these circumstances. Across her body is a history of violent acts… We say these photos and what is alleged is beyond the pale, beyond what could be considered to be a consensual act.’
He has been on bail since October, and must remain in Australia as part of his AUS$100,000 (£48,683) bail conditions and has daily check ins with police. As part of the bail conditions, he is also banned from attending nightclubs or hotels.
While on bail, the rapper was fined $1,000 and banned from driving for six months after pleading guilty to reckless driving. Young Filly admitted to reckless driving after being caught travelling at 157km/h on a Perth highway, where the speed limit is 100km/h, on November 17.
Young Filly rose to fame on YouTube, where he started his account in 2013 and now has more than 1.84 million followers. He has also appeared on several TV shows, including BBC’s Would I Lie To You? and Channel 4’s The Great Celebrity Bake Off for SU2C. He also won a Mobo Award for best media personality in 2021.