Robert Bush, the owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, appeared at Hull Crown Court on Monday for a five-day sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial. The court heard how Bush broke the trust of bereaved families on an 'almost industrial scale', with bodies left 'rotting away' and families given the wrong ashes.
Victim impact statements reveal trauma
Several family members read out victim impact statements, recounting nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder from Bush's offending. Some broke down in tears and struggled to speak. On his way into court, Bush, 48, from Otley, West Yorkshire, told reporters he was sorry to the families affected.
Jayne Rimmington, whose mother Shirley Wright died at age 86, recalled Bush 'smiling' as he handed her the wrong ashes. When she collected the ashes in October 2023, she was surprised by their weight, but Bush claimed it was due to her mother's 'bone density'. Wright's body was recovered from the Legacy premises five months after her death. 'I trusted him,' Rimmington said. 'He stood there smiling, handed me the box, when she was still laying there, rotting away. It's a purely evil thing to do.'
Bodies found in decomposition
Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC said Bush 'operated within the heart of the community for around 14 years, entrusted by hundreds of bereaved families in their time of need', but 'breached that trust on an almost industrial scale in a myriad of ways'. In a search of the Legacy premises in March 2024, Humberside Police found many bodies left uncovered and in varying states of decomposition, stored on racks on both sides of a room. One naked body lay on a stretcher on the floor. Flowers, rings, teddy bears and cards with messages intended for loved ones had been swept under the floor.
The removal of bodies took two days and involved several officers, including a disaster identification team. Bodies had to be identified by dental records, DNA examination or fingerprints. Police also uncovered the remains of an 18-week stillborn boy, identified as Sunny Beverley-Conlin, on the floor inside what appeared to be a police evidence bag. His mother, Jasmine Beverley, believed he had been given a funeral and cremated.
Families given stranger's ashes
Vicky Mitchell received the ashes of her father, Colin Wainman, in a navy blue box inside a Hobbycraft bag, with Bush apologising for not having gift bags. Wainman's body was recovered on 8 March 2024, 198 days after his death. 'My opinion is he is a charlatan,' Mitchell told the court. 'A gravedigger from the 1800s. He didn't care.'
Rea Burton, granddaughter of David Burton, collected what she believed were his ashes in December 2023. Bush asked what the family intended to do with the ashes; Burton said they would be put in necklace charms and her uncle would use some for tattoo ink. Bush called this a 'brilliant idea'. 'In reality, Rob had deceived us,' said Burton. 'He had abandoned and hidden our loved one for months and had given us a stranger's ashes with a smile on his face.'
After the funeral service of 94-year-old Norman Bridger, his daughter Karen King placed what she believed were her father's ashes into lockets worn by her and her mother. 'I now feel violated [that] I had some unknown person's ashes so close to me,' King said. She had also given Bush a bottle of port to thank him. 'The smile on his face as he accepted it will always haunt me,' she told the court.
Wife's ashes scattered at wrong site
David Gorbutt visited Bush to collect what he believed were the ashes of his wife, Susan, in September 2023. He was handed a paper bag with a small cardboard box bearing her name. When Gorbutt said he 'hope[d] they're the right ones', Bush replied: 'Yes, they are definitely the right ones.' Gorbutt scattered the ashes at a local country park, as per Susan's wishes. Her body was recovered at the Legacy premises six months after her death.
In his statement, Gorbutt said he felt guilty for being 'unable to fulfil my wife's last request, that I deal with her death quickly', recalling that 'Susan would say: You know I do not like the cold.' Like many families, Gorbutt called for stronger regulation of the funeral industry. 'It is hard to believe a person needs more permits to sell burgers than to deal with the dead,' he said.
