Rapper Ghetts Jailed 12 Years for Fatal Hit-and-Run: Drunk, Speeding, and Left Student to Die on Ilford Road
British grime legend Ghetts is going to prison for 12 years. Rapper Ghetts, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, has been jailed for 12 years at the Old Bailey for killing a student in a hit-and-run. The sentence was handed down Tuesday, March 3, 2026 ET, in one of the most shocking criminal cases to rock the UK music industry in years. Clarke-Samuel, age 41, was drunk, speeding, and fled the scene — leaving behind a 20-year-old Nepalese student who died in hospital two days later.
What Happened the Night Ghetts Killed Yubin Tamang
Ghetts struck 20-year-old Yubin Tamang while driving a BMW on Redbridge Lane in Ilford. Mr Tamang, who was crossing the road at around 11:33 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, 2025, died in hospital two days later.
Prosecutor Philip McGhee told the Old Bailey that Clarke-Samuel had been drinking alcohol on the evening of October 18, 2025. He was said to be one and a half times over the legal drink-drive limit and was driving at speeds up to 70mph before the crash. The defendant initially said he had drunk three glasses of brandy with a meal at a restaurant, later indicating he had been at Omi Lounge in Wells Street.
Clarke-Samuel did not stop at the scene and, it was alleged, continued to drive dangerously in Worcester Crescent. Police went to his home early the next day and found his black BMW was significantly damaged. Officers arrested him at his King's Avenue address in Woodford, east London.
Ghetts Pleaded Guilty: The Old Bailey Sentencing Hearing
On Tuesday, the 41-year-old defendant wore all black in the dock when he appeared at the Old Bailey to be sentenced for causing death by dangerous driving and dangerous driving. The judge had previously signalled that a custodial sentence should be expected, and the court delivered accordingly.
In a written statement read to the court, Ghetts said: "I write from a place of extreme regret, shame and remorse. I am fully aware that there are no number of apologies that I can say which will soothe the pain that the family and friends of Mr Tamang must feel. This may be the only chance that I get to apologise. It was truly an unintentional act on my part and I am so sincerely sorry for the suffering and emotional distress that I have caused."
Defence Cites 2017 Armed Robbery as Context for Ghetts Driving Alone
The defence offered a personal explanation for why Clarke-Samuel was behind the wheel that night without his usual driver. Explaining the root of the defendant's fears, defence counsel Mr Aina said that in 2017, Clarke-Samuel had been robbed at gunpoint at a studio and, although it had been reported to police, the assailants were never caught. The rapper was provided with a driver while working and usually took taxis when going out. Sadly, that was not the case on October 18.
The court was also told how Clarke-Samuel had taken numerous young people under his wing, providing them with guidance and support throughout his career. None of those mitigating factors were sufficient to spare him a lengthy prison term.
Victim Yubin Tamang: An Only Child Sent to the UK for an Education
The human cost at the centre of the Ghetts case is devastating. Mr Tamang was an only child and his parents had sent him to the UK to receive an education. He was 20 years old, simply crossing a road on a Saturday night, when Clarke-Samuel's speeding BMW struck him. He never recovered from his injuries.
Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Shani Taggart said: "Justin Clarke-Samuel knew he was in no fit state to drive and there was clear evidence of his excessive speed and disregard for road users as he drove incredibly dangerously across our city. After presenting this evidence, we secured guilty pleas to these two charges and today's sentence will see Clarke-Samuel face the consequences of his fatal decision to get behind the wheel of a car after drinking."
Who Is Rapper Ghetts: Career, MOBO Awards, and Supacell
The conviction has stunned the UK grime community, which has long regarded Ghetts as one of its most respected pioneers. Ghetts is a rapper and songwriter who has collaborated on tracks with Skepta, Stormzy and Ed Sheeran, and performed at Glastonbury multiple times including in 2024. He won Best Male Act at the 2021 MOBO Awards and received the MOBO Pioneer Award in 2024. He also starred as a gang leader called Krazy in the Netflix sci-fi series Supacell, about five black south Londoners who unexpectedly develop superpowers.
Clarke-Samuel remains in custody and has been disqualified from driving with immediate effect. With a 12-year sentence now confirmed at the Old Bailey, the rapper Ghetts faces a future entirely removed from the stages, festivals, and collaborations that defined his public life — a career-ending conviction for a crime that took an innocent young man's life on a quiet east London road.
