Key facts
- Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Services, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
- He admitted to 67 offenses, including preventing lawful and decent burial, fraud, and theft.
- Dozens of bodies were found in a state of decomposition at the funeral home.
- Families received incorrect ashes, with some containing coarse bones and resembling animal remains.
- Bush defrauded nearly 200 families out of over £562,000 through false funeral plans.
- A stillborn baby's remains were discovered in a paper bag, left for nearly two years.
Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Services in Hull, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for a series of offenses involving the neglect of dozens of bodies and the mishandling of ashes over a 12-year period. Police raiding the Hessle Road premises in March 2024 discovered decomposing remains, including that of a stillborn baby left for nearly two years, and families were given the wrong ashes, some containing coarse bones and resembling animal remains. Bush admitted 67 offenses, including preventing lawful and decent burial, and defrauded nearly 200 families out of over £562,000 by selling false funeral plans. Sentencing him at Hull Crown Court, Judge Justice Hilliard stated Bush had "caused anguish and pain on a scale beyond comprehension" and noted that no one using Legacy's cremation services could be certain they received the correct ashes. Bush was also barred from being a company director for 14 years.