A British funeral director has admitted to 67 offences spanning 12 years after hoarding dozens of bodies and handing bereaved families the wrong ashes. Robert Bush, 48, who ran Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, pleaded guilty to charges including preventing lawful burial, fraud, theft from charities, and fraudulent trading.
The offences came to light in March 2024 when a casual worker alerted another funeral firm to bodies stored on racks in cold storage in varying states of decomposition. Police found 31 bodies that should have been cremated months earlier, including a stillborn baby kept for almost two years, along with more than 100 sets of ashes. Bush, arrested at Heathrow Airport days later, had spent family payments on himself while amassing roughly £90,000 in debt. He also stole donations collected for 12 charities.
Sentencing at Hull Crown Court is expected to hear from more than 100 victims over five days.