A London court on Tuesday sentenced British rapper “Gates” to 12 years in prison for killing a student while driving too fast and exceeding the maximum limit permitted for driving under the influence of alcohol.The award-winning artist, whose real name is Justin Clark Samuel, failed to stop after his BMW collided with Nepalese national Yubin Tamang, 20, in north-east London last October.The 41-year-old defendant admitted causing death by dangerous driving.Sentencing him at London’s Old Bailey, Judge Mark Lovecraft handed down a 12-year prison sentence and disqualified him from driving for 17 years.Clarke told Samuel that CCTV footage showed a “horrific series of incidents” leading up to the fatal collision which was “simply shocking”.The judge noted the father-of-two’s “genuine remorse” and messages of support including from his partner showing how he had used his music career to make a positive impact on his community.Ghetts, who collaborated on tracks with Ed Sheeran and won Best Male Act at the 2021 Music of Black Origin (Mobo) Awards, was said to have been one and a half times over the legal drink driving limit before the crash.He ran six red traffic lights, repeatedly swerved onto the wrong side of the road and was driving at more than twice the speed limit in a 30mph (48km/h) zone before his car collided with Tamang as he crossed the road, the court was told.
The defendant did not call emergency services and Tamang died in hospital from his injuries two days later.Clark Samuel had 12 previous convictions for 27 offenses starting at the age of 16, including theft, vehicle theft and driving offences.Sharmila Tamang, the victim’s mother, cried as she read a statement about her only child in court.“My son came to study in the UK saying the UK has the best degree in the world,” she said. “But on his way back from work, this happened and he lost his life.”
