Ghetts Sentenced To 12 Years Prison For Fatal Hit-And-Run Incident

March 03, 2026

British grime artist Ghetts was sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing a Nepali student in a hit-and-run collision.

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Ghetts received a 12-year prison sentence on Tuesday (March 3) after pleading guilty to causing the death of 20-year-old Yubin Tamang in a hit-and-run incident while driving dangerously and over the legal alcohol limit.

The 41-year-old artist, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, admitted to the charges in December at London’s Old Bailey courthouse.

The Mercury Prize nominee was driving his BMW M5 at nearly 70 miles per hour when he struck Tamang in north London last year.

Prosecutor Philip McGhee told the court that Ghetts had been drinking before driving home dangerously, running red lights and driving on the wrong side of the road.

Ghetts caused catastrophic injuries to the victim and severe damage to his windscreen but continued driving eight miles to his home without stopping.

The grime veteran also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of dangerous driving before the fatal collision occurred.

Tamang’s mother, Sharmila Tamang, delivered a tearful statement through a translator during the court proceedings.

“My son had come to this place to study. But because of someone else’s fault, he was killed at such a young age,” she said to the court.

Ghetts’s defense lawyer, Benjamin Aina, explained that his client believed he was being followed after previously being robbed at gunpoint. The rapper expressed remorse through a letter read in court, stating his awareness that no apologies could stop the family’s pain.

“This young man and his family are in my thoughts daily. I cannot express the enormous feeling of guilt and shame I feel for the suffering I have caused,” Ghetts wrote in his statement to the court.

The artist achieved significant recognition in British music, winning Best Male Act at the MOBO Awards in 2021 and receiving the Pioneer Award in 2024. His fourth studio album On Purpose, with Purpose earned him a Mercury Prize nomination in 2024.

Ghetts has collaborated with major artists, including Ed Sheeran, throughout his career and established himself as one of grime music’s most respected figures.

Ghetts will serve his sentence beginning immediately following Tuesday’s court proceedings.

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