Yung Filly pleads guilty to cannabis possession ahead of rape retrial

By Jessica Coates, Press Association

Social media influencer and rapper Yung Filly has pleaded guilty to cannabis possession, days after an Australian judge cleared him to return to the UK ahead of a retrial on rape charges.

The 31-year-old, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was charged with possession of a prohibited drug whilst on bail for sexual offences in May.

His guilty plea to the drug charge was entered at Mandurah Magistrates’ Court, south of Perth in Western Australia, on Tuesday.

Barrientos did not appear in court in person.

It seems to me it is appropriate to return to his home country until he is needed for his retrial.

He was fined 750 Australian dollars (£397) and was ordered to pay court costs of 308 Australian dollars (£163).

The rapper had been ordered to return to the UK by August 31 under new bail conditions set out by Judge Linda Black in Western Australia last week.

Barrientos was acquitted of three counts of raping a woman in an Australian hotel room at a trial in July, but the jury could not reach a verdict on three further rape charges.

However, he was found guilty of two charges of assault occasioning bodily harm over bites to the woman’s neck and breast.

During a court appearance in August, prosecutors confirmed they will be proceeding with a retrial on the three unresolved rape charges.

At a separate hearing on August 28, Ms Black said that, although a new trial would likely happen next year, the case could face delays.

“It seems to me it is appropriate to return to his home country until he is needed for his retrial,” the judge said.

Under the conditions, he must remain in the UK, return to Australia 10 days before his trial and surrender his passport within 24 hours of returning.

The YouTube influencer pleaded not guilty to all charges at the July trial when prosecutors alleged he assaulted a 20-year-old woman, who cannot legally be named, in his hotel room while touring Australia in September 2024.

During the initial trial, the court heard that the pair met at a nightclub after his performance.

The Colombian-born entertainer was arrested several days later in the eastern city of Brisbane.

Barrientos has appeared on several BBC shows and is known for collaborating with the YouTube collective Beta Squad.

The rapper has appeared for England on Soccer Aid and The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4.