A drunk driver has been jailed today for causing the death of a pedestrian after he ploughed into him following a night out in central London. 

Justin Clarke-Samuel, 41, was sentenced at the Old Bailey to 12 years imprisonment and disqualified from driving for 17 years after he previously pleaded guilty to causing the death of 20-year-old Yubin Tamang by dangerous driving, and a further count of dangerous driving prior to the fatal collision at a hearing at the Old Bailey on 8 December 2025.

Shani Taggart, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 
“Justin Clarke-Samuel knew he was in no fit state to drive and there was clear evidence of his excessive speed and disregard for road users as he drove incredibly dangerously across our city.

“We built a comprehensive case against Clarke-Samuel, focusing on CCTV footage, toxicology, and analysis of his mobile data to pinpoint his route through London.

“After presenting this evidence, we secured guilty pleas to these two charges and today’s sentence will see Clarke-Samuel face the consequences of his fatal decision to get behind the wheel of a car after drinking.

“Our thoughts remain with Yubin Tamang’s family today as they grieve the loss of their only child, and with his loved ones who have to navigate a life without him.”

Building the case:
On the evening of 18 October 2025, after consuming alcohol, Justin Clarke-Samuel drove across central London back towards his home address in Woodford for a period of 30 minutes. During the journey, CCTV footage captured Clarke-Samuel travelling at excessive speed, executing dangerous manoeuvres and causing separate damage in a collision with another vehicle.

While driving on Redbridge Lane East, Clarke-Samuel collided with Yubin Tamang at a speed in excess of 60mph as he crossed the residential road, tragically causing him catastrophic and fatal injuries.
Clarke-Samuel failed to stop at the scene of the incident and continued his journey home. He was arrested the following day and made no comment during his interview.

The strength of our case against Clarke-Samuel, which included CCTV footage, toxicology and analysis of his mobile data to pinpoint his route through London, was such that he felt he had little option but to plead guilty to his crimes.

Whilst Clarke-Samuel had originally entered a basis of plea that he may not have been over the prescribed limit for alcohol due to post collision alcohol consumption, the prosecution did not accept this basis and proved that he was over the limit at the time of the collision and was not fit to drive that evening.

Clarke-Samuel’s basis of plea also indicated that he believed he was being followed by a vehicle, at an attempt to mitigate his reasons for his dangerous driving. However, following close CCTV analysis of the driving, the Crown disproved this could have been his reasonable belief.