Funeral boss 'abandoned' bodies to 'let nature take its course'

This story contains details some might find distressing.

Bodies found at a funeral home in varying states of decomposition had been "simply abandoned" and left "for nature to take its course", a court has heard.

Hull Crown Court has heard graphic descriptions of how 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes were found at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in March 2024.

Former undertaker Robert Bush has admitted 67 offences, including failing to bury and cremate people.

His sentencing hearing was told police found unidentified ashes in mouldy boxes at the Hessle Road premises, as well as family photographs on the "extremely dirty" floor, among other disturbing discoveries.

The court previously heard Bush falsely told families their loved ones had been cremated or buried and he had given them the ashes of strangers.

On Wednesday, the prosecution alleged "multiple, serious failings" and said Legacy "did not meet industry standards" in respect of the care, identity, cremated remains and ashes of the deceased.

Amid gasps and sobbing from the public gallery, prosecutor Steven Ball outlined the "chaotic" conditions inside the parlour, including how mould was seen on coffins and both excrement and bodily fluids on floors.

Evidence from Dr Richard Lloyd, a human anatomy centre manager at the University of Cambridge and Cranfield University, described finding the site "in a lamentable state" and "a wholly inadequate approach to care for the deceased" at the mortuary.

The court heard bodies were not washed and many were left in a soiled state.

"Bodies of the deceased were held longer than necessary," said Ball. "Bodies were simply abandoned for nature to take its course. None were kept in a dignified manner."

There was also "no evidence of regular assessments of the deceased being carried out", the court was told.

Containers of ashes, meanwhile, were strewn all over the premises and "stored in an undignified manner".

Many had been kept on the floor where damp had caused mould to grow on the boxes.

Earlier, Judge Mr Justice Hilliard was told how more than £3.3m was paid in total into both Legacy and Bush's personal accounts between 2017 and 2024 and the turnover reported to Companies House and HMRC did not "reflect these values".

During that period, £1.7m was transferred into Bush's personal bank account from Legacy.

His personal income equalled approximately £162,000 a year but he was only paying tax on about £13,000 and Bush transferred an average of £52,000 a year to his wife.

Justice Hilliard was told Bush spent more than £42,000 on holidays, £21,000 on his motorcycle racing hobby and in excess of £17,000 on home improvements.

He spent more than £9,000 on camping expenses in 2022, the same year he failed to cremate Jasmine Beverley's baby Sunny Beverley-Conlin, Ball said.

The court was also told how Bush sold fake funeral plans worth more than £500,000 in total to about 200 people.

The court also heard how Bush stole hundreds of pounds from 12 charities by failing to pass on donations collected at his funeral services.

The Salvation Army, Macmillan Cancer Support, Help for Heroes and the RNLI were among those that did not receive donations raised by bereaved families and friends.

Mary Jane Roberts believed she collected up to £600 for Macmillan at the funeral of her mother, Lynne Wheal, and was told by Bush: "We'll take care of it, don't worry". But this was never received by the charity, Ball said.

Roberts remembered thinking "how nice he was for giving them one less thing to worry about", the court heard.

Bush's crimes were discovered by chance while he was on holiday, following a tip-off from two funeral directors from a different firm.

On Monday, the prosecution outlined how police discovered a "horror scene" at the funeral home, with bodies "on the racks" of a cold storage area and one on a stretcher on the floor.

The court heard Bush, 48, of Otley in West Yorkshire, was arrested when he landed at Heathrow Airport days later, and told police he had debts of about £90,000.

The hearing continues.

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