A funeral director has admitted preventing the burials of 30 bodies and stealing donations made to charities by mourners.
Robert Bush, 48, was arrested after police investigated Hull-based Legacy Independent Funeral Directors following a report of “concern for care of the deceased” in March 2024.
Bush, formerly of East Yorkshire and now living in West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, and one of theft from 12 charities including the Salvation Army and Macmillan Cancer Support.
He previously admitted presenting families with the ashes of strangers and fraudulently selling funeral plans. He will be sentenced on 27th July.
Judge Mr Justice Hilliard told the court a “custodial sentence is inevitable in this case” before releasing him on bail.
Bush was charged after a major investigation into human remains found at the premises, including four babies lost in pregnancy.
Humberside Police said all the charges dated from a period between May 2012 and 6 March 2024.
In court, the clerk spent 10 minutes reading out 31 charges.
Bush – who was wearing a dark grey suit, white shirt and mauve tie – showed no emotion as he entered his pleas while standing in the glass-fronted dock.
His left hand was gripping his right, and his voice was quiet as he replied “guilty” to each charge.
About a dozen relatives of the victims were in the public gallery.
Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC told the court there would be up to 240 victim impact statements from people that had been affected by the case. These would be provided before the sentencing hearing.
“The fraudulent trading relates to funeral plans involving over 150 individuals,” he said.
Leaving court, Bush made no comment as he walked briskly away carrying the black hold-all he had with him when he arrived.
Some of the victims’ families pursued him along Chapel Lane, shouting “you’re a pig” and “you’re a monster, Bush”.
Michaela Baldwin’s stepfather Danny Middleton was in his 70s when he died in November 2023.
The family was told his body was one of the 35 found at Legacy’s premises in March 2024.
They were given ashes by Bush who claimed they were those of their loved one.
Speaking outside the court, Baldwin said: “Bush is a pure, true monster. It’s like being in a horror film.
“What hurts us is that Bush has pleaded guilty but he is allowed to walk out of court today. He should have been remanded.”
Baldwin said she believed Bush was motivated by money and told the BBC how she paid close attention to Bush’s demeanour throughout the hearings.
“He didn’t look any of us [affected families] in the eye.”
“The judge should throw the book at him,” she added.
Karen Dry, who trusted Bush with her parents’ funerals in 2016 and 2018, organised monthly vigils for the victims since the investigation began in 2024.
Speaking on behalf of some of the families outside court, she said they were relieved by Bush’s guilty pleas and his admission “brings us a step closer to justice as we await sentencing”.
“When this ordeal started, we were blindsided,” she said.
“We had no idea to the level of repulsive and sickening findings inside that funeral director’s building.
“There is an enduring sense of deep betrayal, emotional stress and damage caused by this individual to many families right across this city.”
‘Irreparable damage’
Speaking outside court, Det Supt Alan Curtis said the “utter devastation and emotional harm cannot be underestimated” in this case.
He said the distress Bush caused families was “simply unimaginable” and suggested “irreparable” damage had been caused to communities.
Curtis said Bush had “betrayed trust” and he praised the families’ “extraordinary strength in unimaginable circumstances”.
Bush previously admitted 35 offences of fraud by false representation and another of fraudulently running a business, relating to the sale of funeral plans.
But he had denied the 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, and one of theft relating to charitable donations. He had been due to stand trial from 5 October.
Dry urged the government for action in regulating the funeral industry, which operates without any specific regulatory regime for funeral directors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“We believe MP Emma Hardy should be requesting a public inquiry, as it is essential to establish accountability and implement the safeguards required to prevent any future reoccurrence,” Dry said.
Emma Hardy, the Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice, said she welcomed the guilty pleas.
“Robert Bush abused his position of trust to take advantage of people at their most vulnerable,” she said.
The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) condemned Bush’s actions and said it would “ensure this can never happen again and restore public confidence”.
“We will do this by working collaboratively with the government and stakeholders across the funeral sector,” a spokesperson said.
“Together we will introduce a robust yet proportionate form of regulation that requires all practitioners providing care to the bereaved and the deceased to meet a rigorous set of standards.”
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