Rapper Ghetts jailed for 12 years over fatal hit-and-run

Award-winning rapper Ghetts has been jailed for 12 years for killing a student in a hit-and-run collision in north-east London.

The 41-year-old, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, was sentenced at the Old Bailey after he previously admitted causing the death of 20-year-old Yubin Tamang by dangerous driving.

Tamang, a university student from Nepal, died in hospital two days after being struck by Clarke-Samuel's car on Redbridge Lane East, Ilford, in the early hours of 18 October 2025.

The court heard that Clarke-Samuel had been driving at more than 60mph in a 30mph zone when his BMW M5 hit Tamang as he crossed the road. He failed to stop at the scene.

Outlining the facts on Tuesday, prosecutor Philip McGhee said Clarke-Samuel had been drinking alcohol on the evening of the crash.

The rapper, from Woodford Green in east London, was said to be one and a half times over the legal limit.

McGhee said Tamang was crossing the road when he was struck by Clarke-Samuel's car.

"Mr Tamang was catapulted into the air before crashing down on the roadway. He sustained catastrophic injuries," McGhee said.

In a statement, the student's family said: "We speak today with hearts broken beyond repair. Our only child, a precious soul, has been taken from us far too soon."

The court was shown a compilation of CCTV of Clarke-Samuel's erratic driving including footage of the moment he hit Tamang.

After the crash, an Uber driver saw what he initially thought was a "bundle of clothes in the road" and called 999 on realising Tamang was seriously injured, the court heard.

Police found a damaged wing mirror casing on the road and traced the serial number to Clarke-Samuel's vehicle. Officers later located the car near his home, with significant damage to the windscreen, bonnet and front bumper.