Rapper and Netflix actor Ghetts, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, has pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving following a hit-and-run collision that killed 20-year-old Yubin Tamang. The 41-year-old appeared via videolink from Pentonville prison to enter his plea at the Old Bailey. He also admitted to further charges of dangerous driving before and after the crash, which took place in late October.
Clarke-Samuel has not yet entered pleas to causing death by careless driving while over the alcohol limit. The court heard that he admitted to drinking Hennessy and Coke at around 9.30pm, roughly two hours before the incident. The collision occurred on October 18 at around 11.33pm on Redbridge Lane in Ilford, where his BMW struck Tamang and failed to stop. Tamang, an only child whose parents had sent him to the UK to study, died two days later on October 20.
Prosecutor Varinder Hayre told the court that CCTV footage showed Tamang looking both ways before crossing the road. As he reached the middle of the street, Clarke-Samuel’s BMW hit him with such force that he was thrown an estimated 60 to 70 feet, with his belongings scattered across the road. The driver continued eastbound without stopping.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC, the Recorder of London, said Clarke-Samuel faces an inevitable custodial sentence. He will remain in custody until sentencing, expected around February 12. Prior to the crash, he had been driving dangerously in Tavistock Place and other areas in Camden, and continued to do so after the collision as he travelled through Worcester Crescent in Redbridge on his way home to King’s Avenue in Woodford, east London.
Police arrived at his home the following morning and found his black BMW, registered and insured in his name, with significant damage. Clarke-Samuel first appeared at Stratford Magistrates’ Court on October 20, initially charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving before Tamang’s death upgraded the charge.
Ghetts is well known in the UK music scene and gained broader visibility through his role in the 2024 Netflix series Supacell. He has performed at Glastonbury and collaborated with artists such as Skepta, Stormzy, and Ed Sheeran. His tracks, including “One Take,” “Skengman,” and “IC3,” have amassed millions of streams. He won Best Male Act at the 2021 MOBO Awards, has been nominated for a Mercury Prize, and received the MOBO Pioneer Award last year for his contributions to British Black culture.
