This story contains details some might find distressing.
Funeral director Robert Bush (centre) arrives at Hull Crown Court(Image: Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA Wire)
Former Legacy funeral director Robert Bush told police when he was arrested: “I f***ed it all up – everything. My whole world.”
He hid bodies at his premises and mixed up ashes in what was described as “something from a horror scene”. He also stole donations for charities in what was in total a breach of trust “on an almost industrial scale”, Hull Crown Court heard.
Christopher Paxton KC, prosecuting, said that there were 67 counts, including 30 of them for preventing the lawful and decent burial of 30 bodies, over a period of 11-and-a-half months between April 20, 2023 and March 6, 2024.
Counts 31 to 60 were fraud by false representation, regarding ashes. Count 61 was fraudulent trading over a period of 11 years and 10 months, involving 226 victims, with a total of £562,117.
Count 62 was a rolled-up offence of fraud by false representation, involving a further 57 sets of ashes, covering a period of six years and 10 months, between August 1, 2017 and March 6, 2024. Counts 63 to 66 were fraud by false representation, involving foetal remains of four unborn babies.
Count 67 was theft from 12 charities, over a period of six-and-a-half years, between September 1, 2017 and March 6, 2024, totalling just over £5,000 to £13,500.
Legacy operated “within the heart of the community” for about 14 years and it was entrusted by hundreds of bereaved families in their time of need to treat their loved ones with dignity. Over 12 of those years, it breached that trust “on an almost industrial scale”.
The company raised expectations, made false promises and stole cash donations intended for local and national charities. The offences “impacted old and young alike” across the community of Hull.
Over a seven-year period from March 2017 to April 2024, the sum of £3,760,522 was paid into Bush’s account. There was “profligate spending” by Bush. The financial situation in the business was “not dire” but there was likely to have been “mismanagement” with focus on his priorities and not on those that he was supposed to be serving.
Bush was the owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, a family business set up in 2010. It had branches on Hessle Road and Anlaby Road, west Hull, and in Beckside, Beverley.
The offences were discovered by chance. Bush had gone to Arizona for a holiday on March 5, 2024. While he was away, two other funeral directors were asked by a casual worker for Legacy to help him with collecting a body.
The worker said not to bring the body back to the Legacy premises in Hessle Road and insisted that they should take it to their own premises instead, despite Legacy being nearer.
One of the other funeral directors thought that this was odd. During a conversation, the Legacy worker made a “comment out of the blue” to them along the lines: “You two don’t know the half of it. Bodies have been there for years.”
The men were concerned and they became suspicious. One of them later telephoned the Legacy worker and asked him how many bodies were there.
The worker said that he had counted up to 29 bodies and describing it as like “something from a horror scene”. He thought it was illegal and some of the bodies had been there since before he had started working for Bush.
The other funeral directors suggested that he should alert the police but he was reluctant to do that because of fear of repercussions. While Bush was still away, they arrived at Legacy on March 6, 2024.
“They were shocked by what they saw,” said Mr Paxton. They instructed the man to contact the police and a passing police car was flagged down. Three police officers found a large number of human bodies in the cold storage area.
There were bodies on racks on both sides of the room. They were in varying states of decomposition. Many of the bodies had hospital identification bracelets still on their wrists or ankles. Others had no identification markers.
There was evidence of personal possessions on the floor and shelves. As a result of what the police found, the coroner’s office was alerted. The bodies were removed to Hull Royal Infirmary mortuary.
Fingerprints and dental records were used to identify some bodies – a “huge task”. Areas were “dirty and unkept”. A number of items were found to have been dropped or swept to the back.
There were flowers, rings, teddies, cards with messages on and personal possessions that loved ones would have wanted to stay with the families.
Police went to Heathrow Airport on March 10, 2024 to arrest Bush on his arrival back from Arizona. The aeroplane was boarded, along with the Metropolitan Police, and Bush was escorted off.
He told police: “I f***ed it all up – everything. My whole world.” His detention was authorised. He told police that he ran the funeral company and employed only casual workers.
Bush sometimes had cash flow problems and had debts of £90,000. He used crematorium facilities at Leeds, Doncaster, Haltemprice in the East Riding area and Chanterlands Avenue, Hull.
He confirmed that no bodies were elsewhere. He was released under investigation while police inquiries continued. He was later asked if he wanted to say anything to the hundreds of families affected.
He said “No comment” but claimed that many of the things were untrue and he sought to downplay the state of the premises and the situation that he was in. He misled the police about his ability to clear a backlog in dealing with bodies.
The sentencing hearing continues on Tuesday. Bush arrived in court on bail but he was remanded in custody at the invitation of the defence.
In April, he changed his pleas to guilty on 31 charges, including 30 of preventing the lawful and decent burials of dead people and one offence of theft from charities.
Bush originally denied the offences and a trial was due to be held in October. He had already admitted 36 fraud-related offences.
Bush, 48, formerly of Kirk Ella, but later of East Busk Lane, Otley, West Yorkshire, originally entered pleas to 67 charges during his second appearance at Hull Crown Court last year. Two extra fraud charges had been added to the previous ones.
Bush had, at the earlier hearing, denied 30 charges involving preventing the lawful and decent burial of dead people and he also denied one offence of theft from a series of charities. He admitted 30 offences of fraud by false representation to the families or, in one case, a friend of a deceased person.
He also admitted fraudulent trading and five offences of fraud by false representation to customers of Legacy Funeral Homes or individual people. But at the latest hearing, Bush changed his pleas to guilty on the matters which he had originally denied.
The 30 charges involving preventing the lawful and decent burial of dead people and the one offence of theft were put to him again. He entered guilty pleas to them all.
