Following a complex 16-month investigation into the care of the deceased at Hull’s Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, Robert Bush has pleaded guilty to the remaining 31 charges he faced, taking the total number of offences admitted to 67.
Bush, 48, formerly of Kirk Ella, appeared at Hull Crown Court on Thursday, April 2, where he pleaded guilty to the remaining charges that he had previously denied.
They included 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial relating to bodies recovered from the Hessle Road premises between April 2023 and March 2024, and one count of theft from charities between September 1, 2017 and March 6, 2023.
Bush had already admitted 36 other offences, including 30 counts of fraud by false representation relating to families who were told their loved ones had been cremated and were given ashes, four counts of fraud involving ashes provided to families after pregnancy loss, one further fraud offence involving families either given ashes later found not to be their loved ones or given no ashes at all, and one count of fraudulent trading relating to funeral plans.
Bush will be sentenced on July 27.
The case began after police received a report on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, raising concerns over the care of the deceased at the Hessle Road branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
Officers attended and, over the following days, 35 bodies were removed from the premises and taken to the mortuary. A formal identification process found that only four should have been there at that time, with others having remained there far longer than necessary.
Police also recovered what was believed to be large quantities of human ashes, some with labels and letters attached. As the investigation progressed, it became clear some families connected to those ashes had already been given ashes, while others were still waiting for remains they had been told would follow cremation.
Specialists later confirmed the cremation process had been properly carried out, but that the heat involved meant DNA could not be recovered from the ashes to identify them.
The investigation also uncovered fraudulent trading relating to funeral plans, where payments were taken but not passed on to the financial institutions that should have held the money, as well as the theft of charitable donations handed over after funerals.
Bush was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Sunday, March 10, 2024, on his return from America.
A file containing more than 13,000 exhibits was later submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, resulting in charges being authorised in April 2025.
Senior Investigating Officer Det Supt Alan Curtis said: “The utter devastation and emotional harm Robert Bush has caused to hundreds of victims and families cannot be underestimated.
“They trusted he would look after those who meant the most to them, and that he would treat their loved ones with dignity, respect and in accordance with their wishes. This did not happen.
“Thirty-one families believed that their loved one had been cremated, when in fact they remained on site within the Legacy premises on Hessle Road. Most had been given ashes and had been advised that their loved ones’ cremation had taken place.
“Other families, who had chosen cremations through Legacy, were left waiting for ashes that have never been provided, or were deceived by Bush and given ashes that we now know were not their loved ones.
“The distress and devastation that this has caused for those families is simply unimaginable.”
He added: “While he has admitted his guilt and ensured families and victims will not have to go through the ordeal of a criminal trial, the harm and pain he has already inflicted can never be undone.”
Assistant Chief Constable Andy Walker said the investigation had been “extremely complex and sensitive”, with “heartbroken and devastated families at the core of it”.
Laura Tams, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, said the charges represented “some of the most serious breaches of trust possible in the funeral industry”.
She said: “The impact on the families and wider community has been profound. At their most vulnerable time, when seeking dignity and closure for their loved ones, these families were subjected to appalling violations of trust.”
Support remains available for those affected. Julie Butcher, Humberside area manager for Victim Support, said the charity continued to offer free and confidential help and advice to anyone impacted.
There is a dedicated website that people can visit, or they can call the helpline on 0808 28 111 36 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Hull City Council and East Riding Council said support would also continue, with memorial gardens at Northern Cemetery and Lelley Fields Crematorium remaining open for families.