The mother of a young man killed after being hit by a car driven by rapper Ghetts has described the “extreme pain” and “unimaginable sense of loss” of losing her only child.
Yubin Tamang, 20, who had come from Nepal to the UK to study, died in hospital from his injuries two days after being struck by the rapper’s black BMW.
The grime artist, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, has pleaded guilty to causing Mr Tamang’s death by dangerous driving in Ilford, northeast London, last October.
He is due to be sentenced by Judge Mark Lucraft KC at the Old Bailey later on Tuesday and is facing a jail term.
Breaking down in court as she delivered her witness statement via an interpreter, the victim’s mother Sharmila Tamang said: “We feel extreme pain and an unimaginable sense of loss. What we have felt is something that we have to endure.
“My son had dreamed of further education and had come to the UK. He wanted to gain a degree from here because it is well recognised in the world.
“Unfortunately, this tragic event happened near our home while he was returning home from work.”
Both she and Mr Tamang’s father, Bikash, requested the judge apply the maximum penalty.
Police said Clarke-Samuel, 41, was driving his BMW M5 at more than 60mph in a 30mph zone and hit Mr Tamang as he was crossing Redbridge Lane at 11.33pm on 18 October. He then failed to stop at the scene.
Appearing via videolink from Pentonville Prison in December, Ghetts, of Woodford Green, east London, also admitted a charge of dangerous driving in Tavistock Place, in the Bloomsbury area of central London, and on other roads in Camden, Islington and Hackney before the crash.
Clarke-Samuel has been disqualified from driving.
The rapper and songwriter, a two-time Mercury Prize nominee, 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.
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