British YouTuber and musician Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, known professionally as Yung Filly, was acquitted on July 31, 2026 of the most serious charges in a sexual assault trial at the West Australian District Court. However, the jury found him guilty of two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and three charges remain undecided after the jury could not reach a verdict on them.

Barrientos, 30, faced ten charges in total, all stemming from an incident in September 2024 after a performance at Bar1 nightclub in Perth during his first tour of Australia. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. The eight-day trial, presided over by Judge Linda Black, focused on allegations that Barrientos sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman he met in the VIP area of the nightclub after his show. The Guardian

The verdict was partial. Barrientos was acquitted of three of six counts of sexually penetrating the woman without consent. He was also acquitted of one charge of impeding the woman's breathing by applying pressure to her neck, and of one count of assault occasioning bodily harm. The jury, however, was hung — meaning they could not agree — on the remaining three sexual penetration counts. The case is due to return to court at a later date for a decision on whether a retrial will proceed on those three charges. Barrientos's bail was continued until August 21, 2026. The Guardian

The jury found Barrientos guilty of two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, related to biting the woman's neck, cheek, and breast during the sexual encounter. In his testimony, Barrientos admitted to biting the woman without consent, describing them as love bites involving sucking and tongue movements where his teeth contacted her skin. Photos shown to the court depicted the woman with extensive bruising to her face and neck and a bite wound on her right breast. The Guardian

During his testimony, Barrientos told the court that the "vibes were good" with the complainant, according to ABC News Australia's coverage of the trial proceedings on July 27. ABC News

The jury began its deliberations on Wednesday and continued through Thursday afternoon before delivering its verdict on Friday. The West Australian The West Australian

Barrientos was arrested in Queensland following the allegations and extradited to Western Australia — a process where one jurisdiction transfers a defendant to another to face charges. He had not been permitted to leave Australia without court approval since being charged. In September 2025, he was granted court permission to travel home to the UK on bail while awaiting trial. ABC News ABC News

Judge Black banned some of Barrientos's fans from the main courtroom during the trial after they posted images illegally recorded inside the courtroom on TikTok. The court also released footage in connection with the case, as noted by The Age on July 31. The Age

Barrientos, a Colombia-born South London singer and comedian, has built a substantial online following: 3 million TikTok followers, 1.8 million YouTube subscribers, and 850,000 monthly Spotify listeners. His mainstream UK television credits include the BBC's celebrity version of Bake Off and the dating show Hot Property.

The mixed verdict leaves the case in an unusual procedural position. The acquittals on the most serious sexual penetration charges are final and cannot be appealed by the prosecution under Australian double jeopardy principles, which prevent someone from being tried twice for the same charge after acquittal. The two assault convictions, however, will proceed to sentencing. The three hung charges occupy a separate track: the Director of Public Prosecutions will determine whether the public interest justifies the cost and burden of a retrial, a decision the court will address at the next hearing. For the complainant, the outcome means some conduct has been judicially recognized as criminal, while other allegations remain unresolved. For Barrientos, the acquittals on the most serious charges remove the prospect of maximum-penalty sentences, but the guilty verdicts on assault and the lingering possibility of a retrial on three penetration counts mean the legal jeopardy is not fully extinguished.

The broader context here involves the management of high-profile trials when defendants command large digital audiences. The illegal recording by fans, which prompted Judge Black's courtroom ban, reflects a tension between the principle of open justice — the idea that court proceedings should be transparent and accessible to the public — and the need to protect the integrity of those proceedings. When a defendant's followers are accustomed to a culture of sharing and engagement online, courtroom boundaries may not hold the same weight for them, raising practical questions about how courts can maintain order in an era of social media influence.