Grime artist Ghetts, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for causing the death of a student in a hit-and-run crash while speeding and over the drink-drive limit. The 20-year-old victim, Yubin Tamang, was struck by Clarke-Samuel's BMW in north-east London on 18 October 2025 and died in hospital two days later.
The court heard that Clarke-Samuel had been drinking at Omi Lounge in central London before driving at speeds exceeding 70mph in a 30mph zone. He failed to stop at six red traffic lights, veered onto the wrong side of the road, mounted the kerb, and collided with a motorcyclist and a Mercedes before hitting Tamang as he crossed Redbridge Lane in Ilford. After the crash, he drove eight miles home without stopping or calling emergency services.
Tamang's mother, Sharmila Tamang, wept in court as she said: 'My son had come for studies to this place but, because of somebody's mistakes, he has died at a very small age. Yubin was our only child.' His roommate, Sushant Khadka, added: 'Yubin was only 20 years old. He had dreams, ambition, plans for his future.'
Clarke-Samuel admitted dangerous driving and causing death by dangerous driving. The judge, Mark Lucraft KC, described the CCTV footage as showing a 'quite appalling litany of incidents' and called the driving 'simply shocking'. He sentenced Clarke-Samuel to 12 years and disqualified him from driving for 17 years.
The rapper had claimed he drove dangerously because he feared someone was following him, stemming from a previous robbery at gunpoint, but no evidence of a pursuit was found. Clarke-Samuel, a father of two, had 12 previous convictions for 27 crimes, including robbery and driving offences. The judge noted his 'genuine remorse' and positive community impact through his music career.
Ghetts, who has collaborated with Skepta, Stormzy, and Ed Sheeran, and performed at Glastonbury, won best male act at the 2021 Mobo awards and received the Mobo pioneer award in 2024.
