A former funeral director has been imprisoned for 20 years for multiple counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, after remains were found in his Hull funeral premises in 2024.
Robert Bush, 48, formerly of Kirk Ella, East Yorkshire, was found guilty of 67 charges, including 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial of a body, fraud, fraudulent trading and theft.
Sentencing Bush today at Hull Crown Court (pictured), Mr Justice Hilliard said Bush had taken “any and every opportunity in the course of his work dishonestly to enrich himself at the expense of those who used his services” while operating the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, which the judge noted was found “in an appalling state”.
Bush had offended on “an industrial scale”, he said, causing “anguish and pain on a scale beyond comprehension”.
It was clear Bush had “benefited very substantially from his fraudulent conduct”, he added.
“It is worthy of note that in the same period he was stealing charity money from collection plates, just over £3 million was received by Legacy and the defendant’s personal accounts between March 2017 and April 2024.”
The judge noted policies in the Birth and Registration Act 1953 “do not appear to have been followed”.
“One part of [a form] should be returned to registrar to confirm where burial or cremation took place. I was told the registrar should check for outstanding returns but in all cases here the relevant parts of the forms were never returned to the registrar.
“When there is a non-return, the registrar should contact the general registrar office. That did not happen in this case.”
Bush had told families that he would care for their loved ones in accordance with the normal expected practices of a funeral director, and in many cases claimed he arranged a cremation immediately or soon after the conclusion of the funeral. He took payments for this service.
However, in March 2024, following a report of concern for care of the deceased, police attended the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors premises on Hessle Road in Hull and found and recovered bodies which had purportedly had funerals and been cremated.
In many of the instances, families had requested a cremation and received ashes from Bush. The ashes received were not of their loved ones.
Bush had also been receiving money for funeral plans which he kept for himself, along with money he received from families to be sent to their chosen charities. Twelve charities said they never received the donations. The CPS said it will commence confiscation proceedings against Bush to recover the profits of the criminal activity.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecuted Bush following an investigation by Humberside Police and reviewing “an extensive amount” of evidence, including material recovered from the scene, financial records, victim statements and CCTV footage.
Laura Tams, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Robert Bush has been imprisoned today for multiple offences in connection with the operation of the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors premises in Hull.
“These crimes represent some of the most serious breaches of trust possible in the funeral industry. They include preventing the lawful and decent burial of loved ones, defrauding families who paid for services never provided, returning incorrect ashes to grieving relatives, fraudulent trading of funeral plans, and the theft of charitable donations made in memory of the deceased.
“The impact on the families and wider community has been profound. At their most vulnerable time, when seeking dignity and closure for their loved ones, these families were subjected to appalling violations of trust.
“I want to take this opportunity to share my deepest condolences to all those who have been affected. Learning that their relatives’ remains had not received proper care, and that some received the wrong ashes, has caused immeasurable additional grief and trauma.
“This has been an extraordinarily complex and challenging case for our specialist prosecution team. Working closely with Humberside Police, we were able to review extensive evidence at pace to authorise these charges and build a comprehensive case that reflects the scale and severity of these offences. Also, we would like to thank partner organisations in Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire for their supportive work during this case.
“While nothing can undo the harm caused to these families, we hope today’s sentence represents an important step in justice for all those who have suffered from these deplorable actions.”
Senior investigating officer for Humberside Police, Detective Superintendent Alan Curtis, said: “From the moment this investigation began, our focus has been on the families left heartbroken by what happened at Legacy Funeral Directors.
“Behind every enquiry, every statement and every piece of evidence, were people who had lost a loved one and placed their trust in a funeral director to care for them with dignity.
“The distress that this investigation has caused for those families is simply unimaginable, and even after working on this case rigorously over the last couple of years, the sheer impact this has had on our whole community, and further afield, remains incomprehensible.
“When we first attended the premises, it quickly became clear that there were two different sides to the business. On the one hand Bush’s business which was open to the public presented under the façade of being organised and well presented, then delving behind the scenes depicted one of complete disarray.
“This mess only continued to multiply, translating into his finances, accounts, and overall record keeping.
“Robert Bush was a one-man band, the one centrally in control of Legacy. He controlled the finances, the care of the deceased, and the cremations. He was heavily in debt, a poor businessman, and treated the deceased in a way that revealed his questionable moral and ethical compass.
“He exploited people during some of the most difficult times in their lives, taking money for services that were not delivered and failing families at a time they needed him most.
“The damage Bush has caused is quite possibly irreparable, with so many victims who have suffered and continue to do so. Losing a family member or friend you love, and care deeply about can be one of the most traumatic experiences anyone can go through, and Robert Bush took advantage of this.
“Whilst there is absolutely no sentence that can be given to Robert Bush that will provide closure or undo the hurt that has been caused to all families and victims, my hope is that today’s outcome provides some measure of resolution that Robert Bush has been held accountable for what he did.
“This is the biggest and most complex investigation in Humberside Police history; we seized just short of 3,000 exhibits, 12,000 items of disclosure, 800 witness statements were taken, and over 300 victims affected, but in reality, it is impossible to know how many people have truly been affected by this case. You cannot go into Hull City Centre without bumping into or knowing someone who has been impacted in some way.
“No police investigation of this size is ever carried out by one team alone. Detectives, Family Liaison Officers, Crime Scene Investigators, specialist staff, Call Handlers, forensic and financial experts, and officers and staff from every part of the force played a part.
“We made a commitment that the families would remain at the heart of everything we did and it is because of all the teams’ unwavering dedication and hard work that we have kept our promise to them and ultimately achieved the outcome we have today.
“What happened at Legacy Funeral Directors is the unthinkable, and the details have shocked the entire country. No matter what walk of life we’re from, we will all encounter death and this case has understandably raised concerns; and led people to question funeral plans not only for their loved ones, but also for themselves.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies, which Detective Superintendent Curtis said was “absolutely critical” to the success of the investigation. Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Coroner, the Crown Prosecution Service, Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner, bereavement services, and National Crime Agency “were key” in assisting with specialist skills and forensic work, “as well as supporting the Family Liaison team due to the sheer number who had to be deployed.”
“In addition, our Regional Organised Crime Unit supported with specialist resources and forensic accountants, and of course Victim Support who were absolutely critical, setting up a support line where over 1500 calls were received in the first week of receiving the report.”
He added: “Finally, from the very beginning, the families and all those affected in this case have always remained at the heart of our investigation. Their understanding, support and contribution throughout the duration of the enquiry has been truly invaluable and without them, we simply could not have achieved the outcome we have today.
“They have demonstrated extraordinary strength, resilience and courage in this case of unimaginable circumstances, and that will stay with me for the rest of my career.
“We do what we do to try and deliver justice to people who can’t get justice for themselves. Our thoughts remain with all those affected, and we will always remember the lives of those who were entrusted to Legacy Funeral Directors.”
Humberside Police assistant chief constable Andy Walker said: “This has been one of the largest and most complex investigations ever carried out by Humberside Police.
“Our focus for the last two years has been delivering justice for the devastated families who are at the heart of this case
“Robert Bush’s actions have had a profound effect on so many people; we have been determined to make sure that we kept them at the heart of everything we have done, every step of the way.
“We also know that the effects of this case will be far-reaching and will have an impact in our local communities and beyond for a very long time.
“I offer my sincere thanks to everybody involved; families – for their patience and understanding as we progressed the case, Humberside Police officers and staff for their dedication and determination to ensure Robert Bush was held to account, and our partners here in Hull and the East Riding who have been crucial in providing support and care to those involved.”
