Content warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault. Please take care while reading.
British rapper and YouTuber Yung Filly was arrested in Australia on Tuesday on rape and assault charges, according to a Western Australia Police Force statement. Yung Filly was touring the country when the alleged attack happened. Legal name Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, Filly’s bail application was approved at a Thursday court hearing.
According to Western Australian police, a 20-year-old unnamed woman met Filly after his Perth performance in late September. She accompanied him back to his hotel room, where she says she was sexually and physically assaulted, leading to four counts of sexual penetration without consent and three counts of assault “occasioning Bodily Harm.” Filly also allegedly put his hand around her neck and squeezed, and is charged with “impede a person’s normal breathing or circulation.”
Yung Filly’s arrest will cause “chaos in the UK influencer world,” according to social media
Filly, 29, is a popular musician, TV presenter, YouTube star, and internet personality with millions of online followers. According to the BBC, Filly is known for working with the YouTube collective Beta Squad and has appeared on popular British TV shows like The Great Celebrity Bake Off and Soccer Aid. Filly also hosts the BBC3 series Hot Property.
One of Filly’s most well-known songs, “Confidence,” from 2020, features rappers Chunkz and Geko. Chunkz and Filly also host The Chunkz and Filly Show. At this writing, Chunkz had not yet commented on the Filly accusations. Comments on a recent Chunkz TikTok post included, “chunkz what u saying about it all,” and “We are NOT getting beta squad back after what Filly allegedly did 😭🙏.”
The Yung Filly TikTok accusations
Yung Filly’s arrest came just months after videos showing the hip-hop star treating women inappropriately trended on TikTok. Several posts also alleged sexual misconduct. According to an X comment, ” … and people tried dismissing it saying there’s no way all of them had weird experiences, as if that shouldn’t be a red flag.”
Despite Yung Filly’s popularity, in light of these recent allegations, several social media comments reflected that his arrest on rape and sexual assault charges did not come as a surprise to many. ” … no way are you trying to convince us that a guy who was linking underage girls and speaks so degradingly about women on camera is an innocent man incapable of doing those things,” an X comment said. ” … about this Yung Filly situation, there’s been so many girls saying how weird this guy is yet it just gets forgotten about after a week or two…Now look,” another comment added.
In Australia, police prosecutor Julius Depetro opposed Filly’s conditional bail request in court. “No ordinary person can consent in these circumstances,” Depetro said, referring to photos of Filly’s accuser’s injuries. “We say these photos and what is alleged is beyond the pale, beyond what could be considered to be a consensual act.” It’s unclear when Filly will next appear in court. Yung Filly fans known as “Barrientos” reportedly attended Filly’s initial Australian hearing.
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
Published: Oct 10, 2024 04:41 pm