Hull funeral director sentenced to 20 years for body fraud

A funeral director in Hull, England, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for a series of crimes that left bodies unburied for months, gave grieving families the wrong ashes, and defrauded hundreds of vulnerable customers. Robert Bush, 48, the owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, was sentenced on Friday, July 31, 2026, after pleading guilty to 67 offenses spanning nearly 12 years.

The court heard that Bush’s crimes were uncovered in March 2024 while he was on holiday in Arizona. He had asked two directors from another funeral firm to assist with a body collection in his absence. A casual worker at Bush’s Hessle Road premises told the visiting directors that bodies had been left at the site for years, prompting an immediate police investigation. Officers discovered a scene of profound neglect, with decomposing bodies stacked on cold storage racks, ashes stored in mould-covered containers, and personal belongings, including jewellery and photographs, left inside coffins. The remains of a foetus were found in a paper bag on the floor.

Investigators found 31 bodies that should have been cremated months earlier, despite many of their families having already received...