Funeral director who left people unburied breached families' trust 'on industrial scale', court hears
A funeral director in Hull has pleaded guilty to 67 offences after police discovered dozens of bodies and ashes in a state of neglect at his premises. The court heard harrowing details of the 'horror scene' as the sentencing hearing for Robert Bush began.
Why it matters
This case highlights a significant failure in funeral industry regulation and has caused profound distress to hundreds of families who entrusted their loved ones to the firm.
Image source, Humberside Police Image caption, 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 families 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.
This story contains details some might find distressing.
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