13-year-old Hannah Jacobs dies after drinking Costa hot chocolate

An inquest is set to be held looking into the death of a 13-year-old girl who suffered a serious reaction after drinking a hot chocolate from Costa. On February 8, Hannah Jacobs' mother ordered the youngster a drink at a Costa coffee shop franchise in Barking, east London.

She informed the barista of Hannah’s dairy allergy. The teen also had allergies to egg, fish and wheat, which had been diagnosed as a toddler and managed well throughout her life.

However, after purchasing the drink in Costa, the pair attended a dentist appointment at East Street dental practice in Barking. Hannah took a sip of her drink while in the waiting room and told her mother it was not soya milk. She immediately began having an allergic reaction.

They left the dental practice and went to the nearby Day Night pharmacy to ask for help and a junior EpiPen was administered. Ambulance crews arrived shortly afterwards and she was taken to Newham Hospital but resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful and she was declared dead at 1pm.

Now, an inquest into her tragic death is set to be held at East London Coroner’s Court, in Queens Road, Walthamstow, on Monday (August 12). The inquest is listed for six days, ending on August 19. It is due to hear from a number of witness and experts.

Hannah’s mother is represented at the inquest by partner, Michelle Victor, senior associate, Angela Bruno and solicitor Andrew Jackson, of the food safety team at law firm Leigh Day.