Funeral director gave victims strangers' ashes, court hears

Hull funeral director Robert Bush gave grieving families strangers' ashes while loved ones' bodies lay uncremated, a court heard. The Legacy Independent Funeral Directors owner pleaded guilty to 67 offences, including preventing lawful burial, and left a stillborn baby's remains on his premises for nearly two years.

Key Takeaways

• Robert Bush, 48, of Otley, is in a five-day sentencing hearing at Hull Crown Court after pleading guilty to 67 offences.
• Families say he smiled while handing over the wrong ashes as bodies remained secretly uncremated.
• Police found many bodies in varying states of decomposition at Legacy's Hull premises in March 2024.
• An 18-week stillborn boy, Sunny Beverley-Conlin, was found on the floor in a bag; his mother believed he had been cremated.
• Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC said Bush breached families' trust on an “almost industrial scale.”

The sentencing hearing began Monday at Hull Crown Court, where relatives delivered victim impact statements describing nightmares, PTSD, and lasting betrayal. On his way in, Bush told reporters he was sorry to the families affected. Coverage of the case sits alongside other bizarre news that still demands careful reporting.

What did the funeral director do to grieving families?

According to The Guardian, Bush ran Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull for around 14 years and was entrusted by hundreds of bereaved families. Prosecutors said he then breached that trust in “a myriad of ways.”

Several relatives recalled Bush smiling as he handed them ashes that were not their loved ones'. Jayne Rimmington said that when she collected her mother Shirley Wright's ashes in October 2023, Bush claimed the box felt heavy because of “bone density.” Wright's body was later recovered on the premises five months after her death.

Rea Burton said Bush praised plans to put her grandfather's ashes in necklace charms and tattoo ink, calling it a “brilliant idea,” while he had “given us a stranger's ashes with a smile on his face.” Karen King said she placed what she thought were her father's ashes into lockets and later felt “violated.”

How was the stillborn baby found at the funeral home?

In the March 2024 search, Humberside police found many bodies left uncovered and decomposing, stored on racks, with one naked body still on a stretcher. Flowers, rings, teddy bears, and cards meant for the deceased had been swept under the floor. Removal took two days and required a disaster identification team; some remains were identified by dental records, DNA, or fingerprints.

Officers also found the remains of 18-week stillborn boy Sunny Beverley-Conlin on the floor inside what appeared to be a police evidence bag. His mother, Jasmine Beverley, believed he had been given a funeral and cremated. The Irish Independent reported those remains were left in a paper bag for nearly two years.

Why does this funeral case matter beyond Hull?

Bush previously pleaded guilty to 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing lawful and decent burial. Family statements described bodies “rotting away” while relatives held memorials, scattered ashes, and wore lockets under false assurances.

David Gorbutt said Bush insisted ashes of his wife Susan were “definitely the right ones,” only for her body to be recovered six months after death. Like others, he called for stronger regulation of the funeral industry, saying it is hard to believe someone needs more permits to sell burgers than to deal with the dead.