A court heard that funeral director Robert Bush defrauded 226 people by charging them for funeral plans he was not authorised to set up, keeping the money, which amounted to more than half a million pounds over almost 12 years.
Bush, 48, is to be sentenced for 67 offences spanning 12 years and affecting hundreds of victims at his business, Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull.
On the fourth day of his sentencing hearing at Hull Crown Court on Thursday, Bush sat with his head lowered in the dock as victim personal statements were read.
Victims describe being 'ripped off'
Anne Hillerby said Bush had charged her “around £5,000” for two funeral plans but offered to “knock off £100 for paying in cash”. Her statement read: “We have since found out the plans are not in place and I have not received a refund due to paying in cash. Robert Bush has ripped off so many vulnerable people. I can’t believe he could do this to people. He has used lower prices to get the customers in then ripped them off.”
Jean Hunter said: “That money was a lot for me, and he knew this because he agreed for me to pay it as and when I could afford it.”
A statement from Alma Hunter said: “It is so unfair that I have lost such a substantial amount of money that I couldn’t afford to lose. Robert Bush preyed on innocent and vulnerable people, devastating lives and causing a huge amount of distress, not only to me but to my siblings that he also stole from in a despicable, and utterly shameful way.”
Carol Grantley said finding out his funeral plan was not valid gave her uncle “a real fear of dying”. She said: “Patrick was not a wealthy man. He only took the plan out in the first place because he had come into some extra money from an insurance policy that had matured, and he thought he should cover the cost of his funeral with it before he spent it all.”
Police describe 'worst experience'
The court also heard how experienced police officers and crime scene investigation (CSI) staff described the scenes at Legacy as among the worst they had encountered. CSI supervisor Colin Jordan described the horror of finding the remains of stillborn baby Sunny in a bag on the floor. Mr Jordan said: “This find had a profound effect on me and the whole team. This was by far the most upsetting part of the operation and still affects me now when I am relaying the sequence of events. I find it difficult to put into words the indignity afforded to both those recovered and their families, but more so, the indignity afforded this foetus. When it upsets seasoned professionals, with many years of experience in the field of body recoveries, it is clear just how bad the conditions were.”
Sergeant Jason Sutcliffe said: “Finding the foetus will never leave my thoughts, and I was disgusted and deeply saddened.” He added: “I am due to retire from the police shortly, and I can honestly say that this was probably the worst experience of my career.”
Pc James Milligan said: “I remember one of the team saying ‘is that what I think it is?’ We were all looking at each other in what I can only describe as disbelief.”
Bush pleaded guilty to multiple charges
A court heard that Bush breached the trust placed in him by grieving families “on an almost industrial scale”, by keeping bodies for months after they should have been cremated, giving out the wrong ashes, taking money for funeral plans without making any of the arrangements, and stealing charity donations collected at services.
In April, Bush pleaded guilty to 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, and theft from the 12 charities. He had already admitted 30 counts of fraud by false representation relating to bodies found at the site, and four “foetus allegations” of fraud, where he presented ashes to women falsely saying that they were “the remains of their unborn”. Bush also pleaded guilty to a further charge of fraud, covering the ashes of 57 people between 2017 and 2024, and one of fraudulent trading relating to funeral plans between 2012 and 2024.
