Funeral director breached families' trust 'on industrial scale'

A five-day sentencing hearing has begun to hear details of the "horror scene" at Robert Bush's funeral parlour in Hull

A funeral director who failed to bury people and gave out wrong ashes has breached the trust of bereaved families "on an almost industrial scale", a court has heard.

Some 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes were found by police raiding Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull in March 2024.

Owner Robert Bush previously admitted 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, and theft from 12 charities.

At the start of his five-day sentencing hearing on Monday, family members watching proceedings at Hull Crown Court gasped and were in tears as details of the "horror scene" at the parlour were described by prosecutors.

Chris Paxton KC told the packed court bodies had been discovered "on the racks" of a cold storage area and one was found on a stretcher on the floor.

The vast majority were "uncovered and in varying states of decomposition", including one of a stillborn baby.

Bush, 48, was "entrusted by hundreds of bereaved families" but had "breached that trust on an almost industrial scale in a myriad of ways", Paxton said.

The faces of the victims whose bodies and ashes were recovered from Legacy's premises in 2024

Paxton said the scale of Bush's offending was discovered by chance when, while he was on holiday in the US, he asked two funeral directors from another firm to remove a body from a care home.

Patrick Moore, a casual worker at Legacy, had been told by Bush "not to bring anyone back to Legacy", Paxton said.

The court heard the undertakers became suspicious and asked Moore how many bodies were at the site.

Paxton said Moore counted up to 29 bodies and described it as something from a "horror scene", adding: "You two don't know the half of it, bodies have been there for years."

The undertakers were "shaken" and flagged down a passing police car, the court was told.

During searches, officers found a brown paper bag containing a tiny item they initially thought was a baby bird.

They then saw two hospital wristbands wrapped around the waist that read "Baby of Jasmine Beverley, born on 13/05/22 at 05:04", Paxton said.

The funeral home was also described as "dirty and unkempt", with flowers, teddies and cards strewn on the floor - items "loved ones would have wanted" for their deceased family members.

Bush, of Otley, West Yorkshire, was arrested when he landed at Heathrow Airport days later.

He told officers his daughter, with whom he was travelling, was "unaware" of what had happe