Hannah Sims of Bexleyheath receives suspended sentence for cocaine supply role

Bexleyheath resident Hannah Sims has been sentenced to a two-year suspended prison term after admitting her role in supplying cocaine. The 29-year-old pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court on 30 July 2026 to being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug. She will serve no prison time unless she commits another offence within the next two years.

Sims was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work. Judge Martin Yale, sentencing, said he accepted that Sims had acted out of weakness and naivety under the control of her partner, Alexander Emmerich, who prosecutors described as the dominant figure in the drug operation.

Allegation over child’s presence at drug deal

Prosecutor Simon Foster told the court that Sims had been recruited by Emmerich in December 2024 to deliver cocaine on his behalf. Foster said Sims was promised £10 for each delivery but claimed she never received payment. He alleged that on one occasion, Sims took her youngest child with her to a drug deal, citing a message in which she wrote, “I’ll take [the child] with me.”

Sims denied the allegation through her barrister, Matthew Kirk. Kirk argued the message referred to childcare arrangements with Emmerich, with whom Sims had a sexual relationship. Kirk told the court, “It is absolutely not accepted that any of the children were present for any drug handover.”

Judge Yale said he could not be sure, to the criminal standard, that Sims had taken a child to a drug deal. He added that while he had suspicions, the evidence did not meet the threshold required for a conviction on that specific allegation.

First arrest linked to armed robberies

Sims was first arrested in January 2025 after police stopped a car in which she was the driver. The vehicle also carried Alexander Emmerich and Stephen Hand, who were later charged with armed robberies in Belvedere and Swanscombe. A jury cleared Sims of conspiracy to commit robbery in 2025 after she testified that she did not know the men were planning to rob shops.

During the investigation into the robberies, police examined Sims’s phone and found messages linking her to Emmerich’s cocaine supply operation. Prosecutors said the messages showed Emmerich had recruited Sims to deliver drugs over a six-week period in late 2024 and early 2025.

Judge warns of harm caused by Class A drugs

Sentencing Sims, Judge Yale said her involvement in the drug supply was a serious offence. He told her, “Be in no doubt, supplying Class A drugs is an extremely serious offence. As you now appreciate, Class A drugs do untold damage to their users and to the local community.”

The judge said he had decided to suspend the prison sentence because there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in the community. He noted that Sims had provided character references describing her as a good mother to her children.

What happens next

Sims must complete 100 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months. She will remain under supervision for the duration of her two-year suspended sentence. If she commits another offence during this period, she could be sent to prison to serve the original two-year term.

The Metropolitan Police said the investigation into Emmerich and others involved in the drug supply operation is ongoing. No further charges have been announced in connection with the case.