London: Award-winning British rapper Ghetts has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for causing the death of a Nepalese university student in a collision in northeast London, Reuters reported.
The 41-year-old artist, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, was sentenced at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to causing the death of 20-year-old Yubin Tamang by dangerous driving in December. He also admitted another charge of dangerous driving before the fatal incident.
The court heard that Tamang, a student from Nepal, was hit in the early hours of October 18, 2025, on Redbridge Lane East, Ilford. He died in hospital two days later.
Philip McGhee, prosecuting, told the court that Clarke-Samuel had been drinking before driving his BMW M5 through north London, running red lights and traveling at speeds in excess of 60mph in a 30mph zone. At that time, he was said to be one and a half times over the legal alcohol limit.
“Mr Tamang was ejected into the air before crashing onto the roadway. He suffered catastrophic injuries,” McGhee said.
After the collision, Clarke-Samuel did not stop at the scene. A passing Uber driver first mistook Tamanga for a “bundle of clothes on the road” before realizing he was seriously injured and calling 911.
Police later traced a damaged rear-view mirror cover found at the scene to Clarke-Samuel’s vehicle. Officers found the car near his home in Woodford Green, where extensive damage was found to the windscreen, bonnet and front bumper, the BBC reported.
In a statement read in court, Tamang’s family said: “Today we speak with hearts broken beyond repair. Our only child, a precious soul, was taken from us too soon.”
Clarke-Samuel, who was nominated for the 2024 Mercury Prize for his album On Purpose, with Purpose and won Best Male Performance at the 2021 MOBO Awards, has previously collaborated with artists including Ed Sheeran.
The case attracted widespread attention in the UK and abroad and highlighted the serious legal consequences of dangerous and drink driving.
