PERTH, Australia (AP) — Lawyers were making closing statements Tuesday in the Australian trial of a British YouTuber and rapper known as Yung Filly on charges that he raped and choked a fan following a music performance two years ago.
The 30-year-old entertainer, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, had pleaded not guilty in the District Court of Western Australia state to six charges of rape, three charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of choking in a Perth hotel room in September 2024.
The accuser cannot legally be named. She was 20 at the time.
The jury is expected to begin considering their verdicts Wednesday after defense and prosecution lawyers finish their closing statements.
Barrientos testified Monday that he did not slap or choke the woman, but he agreed to the allegation that he bit her multiple times.
“In England we would call it a love bite,” Barrientos told the court.
The performer denied the woman repeatedly told him to stop and told him he was hurting her.
“There was kissing in between; I would give her a love bite and then kiss her,” Barrientos said from the witness box. “I don’t recall any blood.”
Photos of the woman with bruising and bite marks on her face and neck were shown to the court.
Barrientos met the woman at a Perth nightclub after his performance.
“The vibes were good and she had a really good energy about her,” he said.
Prosecutors previously said the woman initially agreed to have sex with Barrientos, but withdrew her consent when she started to fear for her safety.
Barrientos agreed that a security guard took the woman’s phone before she entered the hotel room.
But he denied prosecutor Danielle Clarke’s accusation that the phone was removed to trap the woman.
“It is standard practice for someone in the limelight to protect privacy,” Barrientos said.
The Colombian-born entertainer, who has more than 1.8 million followers on YouTube, had been touring Australia and had performed in Sydney and Melbourne before he encountered the woman. He was in the east coast city of Brisbane where the tour was to end when he was arrested several days later.
British YouTuber and rapper known as Yung Filly, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, leaves Western Australian District Court in Perth, Australia, Monday, July 27, 2026. (Aaron Bunch/AAP Image via AP)
CHICAGO (AP) — New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger will be sidelined for four to six weeks with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain.
Bellinger was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, a day after he got hurt running the bases during a 3-1 win at Philadelphia. He had more tests on Monday in New York that revealed the extent of the injury.
“So the good thing is he’s obviously able to move around right now,” manager Aaron Boone said before Monday night's 9-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox. “So we’ll continue to do that and just allow this thing to heal and get him right.”
The loss of Bellinger is another major injury for a New York team already playing without reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, who has been out since May 31 because of a fractured rib. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has been sidelined since April 24 because of a strained right calf.
The Yankees trail AL East-leading Tampa Bay by 2 1/2 games after topping the White Sox in the opener of a four-game series.
“We’ve had some tough injuries to some really important people,” Boone said. “But again, that is part of it. As I say, the season waits for no one.”
Max Schuemann started in left field on Monday night. Spencer Jones, who was brought up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when Bellinger was placed on the IL, was in center, and Jasson Domínguez was in right.
Schuemann was checked on by Boone and a trainer after he slipped on the warning track while going after Braden Montgomery's RBI triple in the first inning. But he stayed in the game.
The MLB trade deadline is next week, but Boone downplayed the effect of Bellinger's injury on the strategy for general manager Brian Cashman and the team's front office.
“I get the sense that they have been working on this in different ways, shape and form for the last several weeks, getting ready for trade deadline stuff,” Boone said. “I expect them to try and do all they can to improve our team, but again, you never know how that’s going to shake out.”
Bellinger, 31, felt tightness in his hamstring while rounding first on a double in the eighth inning on Saturday night. He is batting .259 with 11 homers and 53 RBIs in 102 games this season.
Bellinger re-signed with the Yankees last winter for $162.5 million over five years. He was the MVP of the All-Star Game on July 14 in Philadelphia.
Judge and Stanton are with the team in Chicago, and Boone said Stanton is continuing with his running progression.
“The strength stuff, explosive stuff he’s doing in the weight room has been very good,” Boone said. “So we just got to get him up to a level obviously on the running side of things to be able to go out there.”
Left-hander Carlos Rodón and right-hander Clarke Schmidt are both expected to throw again this week, Boone said. Rodón is coming back from elbow inflammation, and Schmidt had Tommy John surgery a year ago.
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New York Yankees' Austin Wells, right, comes in to score on the single by Cody Bellinger as Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, left, looks on during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
