A United Kingdom funeral director accused of betraying hundreds of grieving families spent money entrusted for burials and cremations on himself instead of carrying out the services, a court has heard
At the opening of a five-day sentencing hearing at Hull Crown Court on Monday, prosecutors alleged that Robert Bush, owner of Hull-based Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, deceived bereaved relatives for years while misusing funds meant for funeral services and charitable donations.
Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC told the court Bush “operated within the heart of the community for around 14 years, entrusted by hundreds of bereaved families, in their time of need, to treat their loved ones with dignity”.
He added, “And yet over almost 12 of those years, Mr Bush breached that trust on an almost industrial scale in a myriad of ways – by selling funeral plans when not authorised to do so; by failing to bury or cremate loved ones; by falsely claiming he had done so when presenting families with ashes which were not those of their loved ones.
“He raised expectations, made false promises and stole cash donations intended for local and national charities.
“All of Mr Bush’s offences impacted young and old alike across the community of Hull and beyond.”
The court heard that the alleged offences came to light in March 2024 while Bush was on holiday in Arizona.
He had asked directors of Evergreen Funeral Directors, Gary Pickering and Steve Emmerson, to recover a body on his behalf.
A casual Legacy worker, Patrick Moore, reportedly warned them not to return to the funeral home, saying Bush had instructed him “not to bring anyone back to Legacy or help put a body into the fridge area”.
Mr Moore later revealed the scale of the situation, telling them, “You two don’t know the half of it, bodies have been there for years.”
After becoming concerned, the two funeral directors visited Legacy’s Hessle Road premises, where Mr Moore counted as many as 29 bodies and described the scene as something from a “horror scene”.
They immediately alerted police after witnessing the conditions.
Prosecutors said officers discovered bodies in varying states of decomposition stored in a neglected cold room, alongside flowers, rings, teddies and cards that families had left with their loved ones.
Among the discoveries was the body of an 18-week stillborn baby identified through hospital wristbands.
Bush was arrested on his return to the UK on March 10, 2024. After being cautioned, he reportedly admitted: “Saskia (his daughter) is unaware of that, that I have deceived everyone from that.”
He later added: “I’ve f***** it all up, everything, my whole world.”
During police interviews, Bush blamed cash-flow problems and claimed unpaid customer bills had left him unable to fund cremations, saying he intended to clear the backlog within months.
However, prosecutors said financial records painted a different picture. Between March 2017 and April 2024, more than £3 million passed through Bush’s business and personal accounts, while over £879,000 was spent on personal expenses or transferred to his wife.
Mr Paxton told the court, “The financial situation within the business was not dire, but likely mismanaged, and the expenditure reflected Mr Bush’s priorities and not those whom he was meant to be serving.
“For all of Mr Bush’s claims about his finances, it should be borne in mind that the cost of a single cremation was around £500, and yet Mr Bush chose not to deal with those bodies entrusted to him but to operate as he chose and spend the money on himself and others.”
