Funeral director who kept bodies for months admits 30 counts of preventing lawful burial

A funeral director who gave grieving families the wrong ashes while their loved ones' bodies were left in his parlour for months has pleaded guilty to 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial.

Officers found 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes when they raided Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, in Hull, in March 2024. One of the bodies had been there for a year.

Bush also pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court earlier to one count 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 27 July.

Bush, 48, who arrived at the court carrying a large black holdall, stood in the glass-fronted dock as the clerk spent 10 minutes reading out 31 charges.

Wearing a dark grey three-piece suit with a white shirt and mauve tie, he clasped his hands in front of him as he said "guilty" to each count in a quiet voice.

About a dozen members of the victims' families remained composed in the public gallery throughout the 24-minute hearing.

Judge Mr Justice Hilliard told Bush 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.

Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC told the court there would be up to 240 victim impact statements from people who 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 holdall.

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.

They were given ashes by Bush who claimed they were those of their loved one.

Speaking outside 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."

Tristan Essex, whose grandmother, Jessie Stockdale, was identified through DNA after her body was also found at the funeral home, said Bush "genuinely seemed like he cared" when the family went back to the premises several times after they were told she had been cremated.

"We'd been in there a few times afterwards to get the ashes transferred and the whole time my grandma was there in the back, just rotting," he said.

Karen Dry, who trusted Bush with her parents' funerals in 2016 and 2018, organised monthly vigils for the victims' families since the investigation began.

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."

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".

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.

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) said it was working with the government to "ensure this can never happen again and restore public confidence".

"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," said chief executive Terry Tennens.

Andrew Judd, chief executive of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), said the vast majority of funeral directors who belong to trade associations "act with professionalism and care".

He said he wanted major reforms including an independent inspection regime, clear rules for the care and transport of the deceased, and the creation of a Commissioner for the Deceased to ensure proper accountability across the sector.

The government's full response to calls for tighter regulation would be expected later this year, Judd added.