Robert Bush, a funeral director, is on trial at Hull Crown Court after a 'large number of bodies' were discovered at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, with one police sergeant initially mistaking a paper bag containing a foetus for a baby bird.
Prosecuting barrister Chris Paxton KC said the officer saw a hospital ID band around the infant's wrist bearing the name 'Baby of Jasmine Beverley' alongside a date. Other disturbing findings included a naked corpse left on the floor and bodies still wearing hospital ID bracelets. Floral tributes and cuddly toys had been swept aside.
Arrest and admissions
When Bush was arrested aboard a flight returning from a holiday in Arizona, he told officers: 'I f***** it all up, everything my whole world.' Paxton said Bush 'breached trust on an almost industrial scale in a myriad of ways', having unlawfully sold funeral plans, neglected to bury bodies and provided families with the wrong ashes.
Paxton added that Bush 'raised expectations, made false promises' and pocketed charitable donations, with his crimes having 'impacted young and old alike across the community of Hull and beyond.'
Discovery of the scene
The scandal came to light in March 2024 when two fellow funeral directors and a man named Patrick Moore were called to collect a body from a care home while Bush was away. Moore told them Bush had instructed him not to bring anyone back to Legacy due to smells from the fridge. He said: 'You two don't know the half of it, bodies have been there for years.'
He estimated there were 29 bodies, likening the scene to 'something from a horror scene.' The directors flagged down a passing police car. Officers entered and found 'a large number of human bodies within a cold storage area' stored on racks, many uncovered and in varying stages of decomposition, with evidence of putrefaction.
Victim impact statements
During the five-day sentencing hearing, victims began delivering impact statements. Norman Bridger's remains were retrieved from Legacy inside a cardboard coffin 10 months after his death. His daughter Karen King had been given lockets by Bush containing what she believed to be ashes. She said: 'I now feel violated that I have had some unknown person's ashes so close to me.'
Jonathan Butler's remains were retrieved eight months after his death. His partner Kathryn Howard said: 'An apology would not be enough for me. It could never take away the pain and grief that I feel for enduring not one but two funerals for my lovely John.'
Financial details
The court was told Bush received £3.7 million into his bank account over seven years, but the turnover reported to HMRC did not tally. The prosecution alleges he defrauded clients of more than £500,000. Bush told officers he owed about £90,000 and believed there were around 30 bodies at the Hessle Road site, with the oldest from April 2023. He admitted to having no system for tracking stored bodies.
The sentencing hearing continues.
