The 41-year-old artiste, born Justin Clarke-Samuel, was sentenced at Old Bailey after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, along with an additional charge of dangerous driving.
The court heard that Ghetts struck Yubin Tamang, a university student from Nepal, with his BMW M5 on Redbridge Lane East in Ilford on October 18, 2025. Tamang passed away in hospital two days later.
Prosecutor Philip McGhee told the court that the rapper had been drinking and was about one and a half times over the legal alcohol limit.
He reportedly drove at over 60mph in a 30mph zone, ran six red lights, crossed onto the wrong side of the road, mounted the kerb, and collided with other vehicles before hitting the student. He did not stop at the scene.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC described the CCTV footage of the incident as a “quite appalling litany of incidents” that were “simply shocking”.
Ghetts had claimed he drove dangerously because he feared he was being followed, but no evidence of a pursuit was found.
Police later traced debris from the crash to his vehicle, which was recovered near his home in Woodford Green with significant front-end damage.
In a victim impact statement, Tamang’s family said their “hearts are broken beyond repair,” adding that the rapper had “stolen our son’s future and ours with it”.
The court also imposed a 17-year driving disqualification on the rapper.