Yung Filly's Rapid Rise Overshadowed by Legal Issues
Andrés Felipe Valencia Barrientos—better known as Yung Filly—was riding high on a wave of online success, TV spots, and music would-be anthems. But recently, the 29-year-old British YouTuber and rapper finds his name splashed across headlines for all the wrong reasons. In December 2024, a court in Perth, Australia, handed him a six-month driving ban after he pleaded guilty to reckless driving. Police had clocked him at a startling 158 km/h (nearly 100 mph) on Roe Highway, a speed that could make even veteran drivers wince. This reckless driving charge was already serious, but what makes it stand out is its timing: Filly was on bail for a string of sexual assault charges when he was pulled over.
The Perth charges stem from a September 2024 incident. Filly stands accused of four counts of sexual penetration without consent and is also alleged to have obstructed a woman's breathing. Details from the police filings suggest a complex and deeply concerning sequence of events, resulting in him being detained and then released on bail as the case moves slowly through the Australian judicial system.
Backlash, Professional Fallout, and a New Set of Charges
While public sympathy sometimes follows high-profile figures in legal trouble, the response to Filly's situation has mostly been swift and severe. In the wake of these allegations and his reckless driving guilty plea, some of his most prominent partnerships have been either paused or outright cancelled. FootAsylum, with whom Filly had a multi-year content relationship, instantly suspended their association. The Football Association even cut him from a planned online cookery series. For someone whose profile was intricately tied to public image—bolstered by viral YouTube videos, TV appearances on shows like ITV’s Soccer Aid and Channel 4’s The Great Celebrity Bake Off, and a 2021 MOBO Award—a damaged reputation brings real career consequences.
And legal clouds only grew darker. In March 2025, Filly pleaded not guilty to fresh sexual assault charges. These were distinct from his Australian case, tied to an incident in a Magaluf hotel involving a British tourist. Authorities in Spain have not released much extra information, but it’s clear the timeline and international scope of these legal issues continue to weigh heavily on both Filly and his substantial online following.
Filly’s influence isn’t small: more than 1.8 million YouTube subscribers, plus huge TikTok and Instagram audiences, have made him a familiar name among British Gen Z and millennials. His music collaborations—with crowd-favorite creators like Chunkz—regularly draw millions of streams. Songs like 'Confidence' helped cement his reputation as an entertainer who could move between music and comedy. But as subscribers and sponsors react to the steady drumbeat of court appearances and allegations, the strength of his support base faces a messy stress test.
- December 2024: Yung Filly pleads guilty to reckless driving in Perth
- On bail for serious sexual assault charges in Western Australia
- March 2025: Pleads not guilty to sexual assault charges in Spain
- Canceled deals with FootAsylum and The Football Association
Filly, born in Colombia and raised in southeast London, built a persona rooted in relatability and everyday humor. That image now sits at odds with his troubling legal situation, leaving fans, sponsors, and the broader public to watch how the next chapter unfolds in real time—both in courts and across the feeds of social media.