Former Funeral Director Pleads Guilty to 30 Burial Charges

Robert Bush, a 48-year-old former funeral director from Hull, pleaded guilty on Thursday at Hull Crown Court to 30 counts of preventing the lawful and decent burial of bodies, along with charges of fraud and theft from charities, following a police raid that uncovered 35 bodies and dozens of sets of ashes at his business premises.

The investigation began in March 2024 when Humberside Police received a report expressing concern for the care of the deceased at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors on Hessle Road in Hull. Officers searched three locations linked to the firm and discovered the remains of 35 individuals, including those who had been stored for up to a year without cremation or burial. Prosecutors authorized charges related to 30 of the bodies, identified as Norman Bridger, Jonathan Butler, Muriel Winning, Raymond Dagnall, Colin Wainman, Maureen Graham, Susan Gorbutt, Shirley Wright, Mark Hotham, John Carlill, Joyce Moulton, Terence Buck, David Burton, Audrey Leach, Danny Middleton, Tony Munro, Jessie Stockdale, Peter Moody, Jean Collinson, Alan Gray, Hilda Mary Rhodes, Stephen Perrins, Joan Stark, Brian Johnson, Graham Finn, Terence White, Susan Stone, Herbert James...