Hull funeral director pleads guilty to fraud counts as remains found

A funeral director pleaded guilty to dozens of fraud charges and denied a separate set of offences on Wednesday after human remains were found at his premises, a case that has prompted a major police investigation and community response in Hull. Robert Bush, 47, entered guilty pleas to 35 counts of fraud by false representation and one count of fraudulent trading at Hull Crown Court. He denied 30 counts of preventing the lawful and decent burial of a body and one charge of theft, and remains on bail ahead of a trial on the outstanding charges.

The charges stem from a Humberside Police inquiry that began in March last year after concerns were raised about the care of the deceased at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors. Officers said they carried out searches of the firm’s three sites in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire and removed human remains and ashes. The force previously reported removing 35 bodies and human ashes from the Hessle Road branch and identifying 163 families linked to the ashes. A month into the investigation police received more than 2,000 calls to a dedicated helpline from families worried about the fate of their relatives’ remains.