A young international student’s dream of building a future in Britain ended in tragedy on a dark road in east London, after a late-night collision left him fatally injured and the driver fleeing the scene. Now, months later, the case has reached a devastating turning point in court, as the man behind the wheel has admitted responsibility for the death.
The victim, 20-year-old Yubin Tamang, had moved from Nepal to the UK to study and pursue new opportunities. Friends and family described him as kind, ambitious and full of hope for the life ahead of him. Instead, his future was cut short in a violent road crash that saw him thrown dozens of feet through the air after being struck by a high-powered vehicle.
The collision occurred shortly after 11.30pm as Mr Tamang attempted to cross a road in Ilford. CCTV footage later shown to investigators captured him looking both ways before stepping into the carriageway. Moments later, a black performance car travelling at speed struck him with catastrophic force. The impact sent his body flying between 60 and 70 feet, scattering the contents of his bag across the road.
The vehicle did not stop.
Emergency services were called by passers-by who found the young man lying badly injured near the pavement, bleeding heavily and barely responsive. One witness later told police that it appeared as though Mr Tamang tried to speak, but his mouth was so filled with blood that no sound could be heard. Despite urgent medical treatment, he died in hospital two days later.
The driver, meanwhile, had vanished into the night.
Investigators quickly began piecing together the trail left behind — broken vehicle parts scattered across the road, damaged bodywork later discovered nearby, and CCTV footage tracking the movements of the car in the minutes before and after the collision. Around 10 to 15 minutes after the crash, the damaged vehicle was parked on a nearby street, its windscreen shattered and its front end heavily impacted.
Several hours later, in the early hours of the morning, police attended a residential address to make an arrest. Officers reported that the man who answered the door smelled strongly of alcohol and had clearly been woken from sleep. A search of the home uncovered the car key, vehicle documents, and paperwork linking him to the crashed vehicle. He was taken into custody shortly afterwards.
At court this week, the driver appeared by video link from prison and formally admitted causing death by dangerous driving, along with separate dangerous driving offences committed earlier that evening across several London boroughs. The judge told him that a custodial sentence is inevitable, and he has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.
Only midway through the court proceedings did the full public identity of the defendant become clear.
The man in the dock is Justin Clarke-Samuel, better known to millions as Ghetts — one of the most influential figures in British grime music and a recent star of a popular Netflix drama series. The 41-year-old has built a celebrated career over two decades, earning major industry awards, headlining festivals, and collaborating with some of the biggest names in British and global music.
The courtroom fell silent as the reality of that contrast settled in: a globally recognised artist admitting responsibility for the death of a young student whose life had barely begun.
Prosecutors told the court that Clarke-Samuel had been driving dangerously across multiple boroughs in the lead-up to the fatal collision. He also accepted that he had consumed alcohol earlier in the evening, telling the court he had been drinking cognac mixed with cola several hours before the crash. He has not yet entered pleas to separate allegations relating to driving while over the alcohol limit.
After the collision, instead of stopping to assist the severely injured young man, Clarke-Samuel continued driving, leaving Mr Tamang alone on the road. Prosecutors described that failure to stop as a key aggravating factor in the case.
Members of the victim’s family, who had travelled from Nepal for the hearing, sat quietly in court as the details were read aloud. Mr Tamang was an only child, sent abroad by his parents so that he could receive a university education in the UK. Family statements described him as their “world” — a polite, gentle young man with a love of hip-hop music and dreams of building a life abroad.
Their grief, the court heard, has been immeasurable.
Outside court, the case has sent shockwaves through both the music industry and the wider public. Clarke-Samuel’s status as a cultural figure has brought huge attention to the proceedings, but prosecutors emphasized that the case is, at its core, about responsibility, reckless behaviour, and a life lost.
Investigators also outlined Clarke-Samuel’s criminal history, which spans more than two decades and includes multiple convictions for theft, robbery, assault and driving offences. His last recorded conviction prior to this case was for driving while disqualified. While none of those offences were of a similar magnitude to the current charge, they were placed before the court as background.
In contrast, Mr Tamang’s life had barely begun.
He had arrived in Britain full of hope, eager to study and make his parents proud. Friends described him as studious, warm and deeply committed to his family back home. His love of music, particularly hip-hop, was one of the ways he connected to life in the UK. The irony that the man who killed him is himself a celebrated figure in that same culture was not lost on those in the courtroom.
The judge, addressing Clarke-Samuel directly, made it clear that prison was unavoidable. Sentencing has been provisionally scheduled for February, at which point the court will determine how long he will remain behind bars. Legal experts say that a conviction for causing death by dangerous driving typically results in a lengthy sentence, particularly when combined with fleeing the scene and alcohol consumption.
In the meantime, Clarke-Samuel remains in custody at HMP Pentonville.
For the victim’s family, the guilty plea brings some measure of accountability, but no comfort. Their son will never return. A promising future was extinguished in seconds on a London road, and no court outcome can reverse that reality.
The case has reignited wider debate about dangerous driving, celebrity accountability, and the devastating consequences of reckless decisions behind the wheel. Road safety groups have renewed calls for harsher penalties in cases involving hit-and-run deaths, arguing that too many lives are lost each year to drivers who treat public roads as racetracks.
As the legal process moves toward sentencing, the focus now turns to justice for a young man who came to Britain seeking opportunity — and instead found tragedy.
Emily Johnson is a critically acclaimed essayist and novelist known for her thought-provoking works centered on feminism, women’s rights, and modern relationships. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Emily grew up with a deep love of books, often spending her afternoons at her local library. She went on to study literature and gender studies at UCLA, where she became deeply involved in activism and began publishing essays in campus journals. Her debut essay collection, Voices Unbound, struck a chord with readers nationwide for its fearless exploration of gender dynamics, identity, and the challenges faced by women in contemporary society. Emily later transitioned into fiction, writing novels that balance compelling storytelling with social commentary. Her protagonists are often strong, multidimensional women navigating love, ambition, and the struggles of everyday life, making her a favorite among readers who crave authentic, relatable narratives. Critics praise her ability to merge personal intimacy with universal themes. Off the page, Emily is an advocate for women in publishing, leading workshops that encourage young female writers to embrace their voices. She lives in Seattle with her partner and two rescue cats, where she continues to write, teach, and inspire a new generation of storytellers.
