PERTH, Australia (AP) 鈥� Lawyers made closing statements Tuesday in the Australian trial of British entertainer on charges that he raped and choked a fan following a music performance two years ago.
The 30-year-old rapper, whose real name is , 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.
Prosecutor Danielle Clarke told the court Barrientos was an 鈥渆ntitled man鈥� with a 鈥渕oderate degree of fame” who had been sexually violent toward an 鈥渋mpressionable” young woman.
鈥淪he meant nothing to him,鈥� Clarke told the court in her closing arguments.
鈥淲hat could have been and should have been consensual sex quickly escalated into sexual violence and a non-consensual nightmare,鈥� she added.
Defense lawyer David Edwardson replied that the accuser’s “evidence is riddled with inconsistencies, embellishments and outright lies.鈥�
Edwardson will complete his statement early on Wednesday. The jury could begin considering their verdicts late Wednesday after Judge Linda Black gives them their final directions.
Barrientos testified Monday that he did not slap or choke the woman, but he agreed to the allegation that he bit her multiple times.
鈥淚n England we would call it a love bite,鈥� Barrientos told the court.
The performer denied the woman repeatedly told him to stop and told him he was hurting her.
鈥淭here was kissing in between; I would give her a love bite and then kiss her,鈥� Barrientos said from the witness box. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 recall any blood.鈥�
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.
鈥淭he vibes were good and she had a really good energy about her,鈥� 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 his bodyguard took the woman鈥檚 phone before she entered the hotel room.
But he denied the prosecutor鈥檚 accusation that the phone was removed to trap the woman.
鈥淚t is standard practice for someone in the limelight to protect privacy,鈥� Barrientos said.
The Colombian-born entertainer 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.
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