UK rapper Ghetts jailed 12 Years for fatal hit-and-run that killed Nepali student

London: Award-winning British rapper Ghetts has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for causing the death of a Nepali university student in a hit-and-run collision in north-east London, Reuters reproted.

The 41-year-old artist, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, was sentenced at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty in December to causing the death of 20-year-old Yubin Tamang by dangerous driving. He also admitted an additional charge of dangerous driving prior to the fatal incident.

The court heard that Tamang, a student from Nepal, was struck in the early hours of 18 October 2025 on Redbridge Lane East in Ilford. He died in hospital two days later.

Prosecutor Philip McGhee told the court that Clarke-Samuel had been drinking before driving his BMW M5 through north London, running red lights and travelling at speeds of more than 60mph in a 30mph zone. He was said to be one and a half times over the legal alcohol limit at the time.

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

After the collision, Clarke-Samuel failed to stop at the scene. An Uber driver who passed by initially mistook Tamang for a "bundle of clothes in the road" before realising he was seriously injured and calling emergency services.

Police later traced a damaged wing mirror casing found at the scene to Clarke-Samuel’s vehicle. Officers located the car near his home in Woodford Green, where it was found with significant damage to the windscreen, bonnet and front bumper, BBC reported.

In a statement read in court, Tamang’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.”

Clarke-Samuel, who was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2024 for his album On Purpose, with Purpose and won best male act at the MOBO Awards in 2021, had previously collaborated with artists including Ed Sheeran.

The case has drawn widespread attention in the UK and abroad, underscoring the severe legal consequences of dangerous and drink-driving.