The remains of a stillborn baby were left in an envelope on the cold room floor of a funeral home for almost two years, one of the shocking stories emerging during Robert Bush's sentencing at Hull Crown Court. Dozens of relatives paid tribute to their loved ones defiled at his Hull-based Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
Discovery of the 'horror scene'
The 'horror scene' was discovered in March 2024 when Bush was on holiday. Police, tipped off that something criminal may be going on at the business, found bodies in varying states of decomposition, including that of a stillborn baby. Jasmine Beverley was one of hundreds of victims of funeral director Robert Bush.
Gasps were heard in court from family members as details of the scene were described. Her son, Sunny, was born stillborn at about 18 weeks, and she believed he had been given a funeral and cremated. Instead, his tiny remains lay on the floor of the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors premises, kept in what looked to a police officer to resemble an evidence bag.
Court details
Chris Paxton KC, prosecuting, told the court: 'In this bag was a white cotton pad. It looked like a dressing-type pad used by hospitals. [The officer] opened the pad and inside was a tiny item which he initially thought was a baby bird. Although initially unsure, he suspected it was a human foetus.' The baby had two wristbands around his waist identifying that he was born to Ms Beverley in May 2022.
As the scandal of how Bush had been operating his business came to light, police told her about her son. She said: 'I discovered that he was still in there almost two years after we'd had the funeral and had him cremated, which wasn't the case. He was found inside the cold store on the floor in an envelope, and it was quite a distressing time to discover that what you thought had happened, hadn't actually happened.'
Family's reaction
Sunny's loved ones were eventually told where his remains had been kept. His mother said: 'We'd always wondered where he'd been found, and we didn't know whether or not it was with the rest of the people. When we found out he was there with everybody, it sort of gave me a little peace that he wasn't on his own.'
Ms Beverley said Bush appeared 'lovely' but 'had a lot of people fooled' by his respectful manner. She said it has been more than 18 months since families affected by the scandal went to Westminster to call for government action to tighten regulations in the funeral industry. She said: 'I don't understand why they're dragging their heels on this, because most crematoriums and funeral directors have a best practice. We just want to see that best practice put into play in law to make sure that is regulated.'
