Hull funeral director broke families’ trust on ‘almost industrial scale’, court hears

Robert Bush appeared at Hull crown court on Monday for a five-day sentencing hearing. Photograph: Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA View image in fullscreen Robert Bush appeared at Hull crown court on Monday for a five-day sentencing hearing. Photograph: Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA Hull funeral director broke families’ trust on ‘almost industrial scale’, court hears Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, left bodies ‘rotting away’, family members say A fraudulent funeral director broke the trust of families on an “almost industrial scale” as their loved ones’ bodies were left “rotting away”, a court has heard. Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, appeared at Hull crown court on Monday for a five-day sentencing hearing. He previously pleaded guilty to 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing lawful and decent burial. Several family members read out their victim impact statements to the court, recounting nightmares and PTSD from Bush’s offending, with some breaking down in tears and struggling to speak. On his way into court, Bush, 48, from Otley, West Yorkshire, told reporters he was sorry to the families affected. Several family members recalled Bush “smiling” as he handed them the wrong ashes, while their loved ones remained secretly uncremated. When Jayne Rimmington came to collect the ashes of her 86-year-old mother, Shirley Wright, in October 2023, she was surprised by how heavy they were. Bush claimed this was due to her “bone density”. The body of Wright was recovered on the Legacy premises five months after her death. “I trusted him,” said Rimmington. “He stood there smiling, handed me the box, when she was still laying there, rotting away. It’s a purely evil thing to do.” Vicky Mitchell received the ashes of her father, Collin Wainman, in a navy blue box inside a Hobbycraft bag, with Bush apologising at the time for not having any gift bags at hand. The 69-year-old’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.” 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 the room. One naked body still lay on a stretcher on the floor. Flowers, rings, teddy bears and cards with messages, intended to be placed with loved ones, had been swept under the floor. The removal of bodies took two days and 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 Beverly-Collin, on the floor of the premises, inside what appeared to be a police evidence bag. His mother, Jasmine, believed he had been given a funeral and cremated. Rea Burton, granddaughter of David Burton, attended the Legacy funeral home to collect his