YouTuber and internet personality Chunkz has issued a statement after his friend Yung Filly was arrested and charged with rape while on tour in Australia.
Yung Filly - whose real name is Andrés Felipe Valencia Barrientos - was arrested by police in Australia last week and subsequently charged with a number of offences.
29-year-old Barrientos - who has played for England on Soccer Aid and appeared on The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer - faces four counts of sexual penetration without consent and three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.
Barrientos was arrested on 8 October in Melbourne before being extradited to Perth where the alleged crimes took place. He has yet to indicate a plea at this stage and has had his application for bail approved by the Australian courts.
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As well as the charges relating to rape, Yung Filly has been charged with another count of impeding a person’s normal breathing or circulation by applying pressure on, or to, their neck.
The YouTuber is said to have sexually assaulted a woman aged in her 20s in his hotel room on 28 September after he performed at a venue in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth.
During his court hearing, Barrientos was granted bail with strict conditions and a personal undertaking of AU $100,000 (£52,000), alongside a surety of AU $100,000 (£52,000). The case has next been listed in Perth Magistrates Court on 19 December at 9.30am for a committal mention.
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Responding to the charges, Yung Filly's close friend and business partner Chunkz took to Instagram to comment on the case for the first time.
"Yes my people, like everyone I have heard the reports coming out of Australia," Chunkz says in an Instagram Stories post late on Sunday (13 October).
"While I understand that many of you want my reaction on it, as this is an ongoing court case I hope you guys can understand that I can't and won't be commenting on it publicly.
"So yeah, I want to let you know the reason why I can't. Love."
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The two British YouTubers are a popular duo in the online streaming scene, hosting the The Chunkz & Filly Show podcast which has proven to be incredibly popular with their fanbases.
A live show of the podcast was cancelled following the allegations made against Yung Filly.
Upload Productions, which produces The Chunkz & Filly Show podcast, said: "We are aware of the serious allegations that have been made against Yung Filly and the legal proceedings that are now under way in Western Australia.
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"In the commercial areas of business where we have responsibility, we have paused working with our client."
FootAsylum has also severed ties with Barrientos, who was a regular on its YouTube series Does the Shoe Fit?, with a company spokesperson saying: “In light of these extremely serious charges, we are suspending our contract with Yung Filly with immediate effect. We are unable to comment further until the legal process has been concluded."
The Government of Western Australia said the “investigation is ongoing and Sex Assault Squad detectives urge anyone with information relating to this matter, or any similar incidents” to come forward.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
Topics: Chunkz, UK News, Crime, Australia, Sex and Relationships, YouTube, Celebrity
Tom Earnshaw