Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, appeared at Hull crown court on Monday for a five-day sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing lawful and decent burial. Families described how Bush broke their trust on an 'almost industrial scale,' leaving loved ones' bodies 'rotting away.'
Victims recount trauma
Several family members read victim impact statements, recounting nightmares and PTSD, with some breaking down in tears. Jayne Rimmington collected what she believed were the ashes of her 86-year-old mother, Shirley Wright, in October 2023. The box was heavy; Bush claimed it was due to her 'bone density.' Wright's body was later found on Legacy premises five months after her death. 'I trusted him. He stood there smiling, handed me the box, when she was still laying there, rotting away. It's a purely evil thing to do,' Rimmington said.
Vicky Mitchell received her father Colin Wainman's ashes in a navy blue box inside a Hobbycraft bag, with Bush apologizing for not having gift bags. Wainman's body was recovered 198 days after his death. 'My opinion is he is a charlatan,' Mitchell said. 'A gravedigger from the 1800s. He didn't care.'
Scale of offending
Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC said Bush 'operated within the heart of the community for around 14 years, entrusted by hundreds of bereaved families' but 'breached that trust on an almost industrial scale in a myriad of ways.' During a search of Legacy premises in March 2024, Humberside police found many bodies uncovered and in varying states of decomposition, stored on racks. One naked body lay on a stretcher on the floor. Flowers, rings, teddy bears, and cards meant for loved ones had been swept under the floor. Removal of bodies took two days, involving a disaster identification team; bodies were identified via dental records, DNA, or fingerprints.
Police found the remains of an 18-week stillborn boy, Sunny Beverley-Conlin, on the floor in what appeared to be a police evidence bag. His mother, Jasmine Beverley, believed he had been given a funeral and cremated.
Betrayal of trust
Rea Burton collected what she believed were her grandfather David Burton's ashes in December 2023. Bush asked about their plans and called their idea of putting ashes in necklace charms and tattoo ink a 'brilliant idea.' 'In reality, Rob had deceived us. He had abandoned and hidden our loved one for months and had given us a stranger's ashes with a smile on his face,' Burton said.
After the funeral of 94-year-old Norman Bridger, his daughter Karen King placed what she thought were his ashes into lockets. 'I now feel violated [that] I had some unknown person's ashes so close to me,' King said. She had also given Bush a bottle of port; 'The smile on his face as he accepted it will always haunt me.'
David Gorbutt collected what he believed were his wife Susan's ashes in September 2023 in a paper bag with a cardboard box. When he said 'hope they're the right ones,' Bush replied: 'Yes, they are definitely the right ones.' Gorbutt scattered the ashes at a local country park as per Susan's wishes. Her body was recovered at Legacy six months later. Gorbutt said he felt guilty for being 'unable to fulfil my wife's last request, that I deal with her death quickly,' recalling 'Susan would say: 'You know I do not like the cold.''
Calls for regulation
Many families called for stronger regulation of the funeral industry. 'It is hard to believe a person needs more permits to sell burgers than to deal with the dead,' Gorbutt said.
