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Rapper Yung Filly’s former collaborator Chunkz has responded to followers asking him about the arrest of his fellow YouTube star.
Last week, the internet personality – real name Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos – was arrested and charged with three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and four counts of sexual penetration without consent.
He has also been charged with one count of impeding another person’s breathing or circulation by applying pressure to the neck.
The online star, 29, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her twenties in his hotel room, after he performed at a venue in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth, Australia. The attack is alleged to have taken place on Saturday 28 September.
Chunkz, real name Amin Mohamed, has collaborated in the past with Mr Barrientos on a number of occasions, including on his 2019 single “Clean Up”, and the 2020 track “Hold”, which charted at No 29 in the UK singles chart.
“Like everyone I’ve heard the reports coming out of Australia,” Mr Mohamed said in a video shared to his 4.6 million followers on Instagram Stories.
“While I understand many of you want my reaction on it, as this is an ongoing court case I hope you guys understand that I can’t and won’t be commenting on it publicly, so yeah I’ve just come on here to basically let you know the reasons as to why I can’t. Love.”
Born in Cali, Colombia, Mr Barrientos moved to the UK with his family as a child, first to Orpington in Bromley and then to south-east London, where he took an interest in the local grime scene.
He rose to fame in 2017 after he began releasing songs online, at the same time growing a huge online fanbase through his YouTube channel, which has 1.4 million subscribers and a total of around 120 million views since he joined in 2013.
Mr Barrientos appeared in a Perth court on Thursday 10 October where he was granted bail under strict conditions and a personal undertaking of 100,000 Australian dollars (£52,000), alongside a surety of 100,000 Australian dollars (£52,000).
The case has next been listed in Perth Magistrates Court on 19 December at 9.30am for a committal mention.
In a press release, 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.
On Friday, it was revealed that all of Mr Barrientos’s planned future releases had been put on hold following his arrest.
The Independent understands that Warner Records has now shelved any planned new music releases pending the results of the case against him.
He is understood to have signed with the major label around 2021.
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
