Robert Bush, the funeral director who mistreated the dead on a systematic scale, has apologised to the families he devastated, his barrister told Hull Crown Court. Richard Wright KC said Bush accepts he is treated as a “pariah – hated and despised” and offered an apology “without qualification”.
Apology and acceptance of responsibility
Wright said his client has written to the court to apologise and “he offers that apology without qualification and he accepts that responsibility”. He acknowledged that the apology “is likely to be angrily rejected” by relatives. “Whether or not he conducted hundreds or thousands of funerals perfectly properly, his criminal conduct taints every family,” Wright said.
Scale of offending
Bush faces sentencing for 67 offences spanning 12 years and affecting hundreds of victims. The court heard he kept bodies for months, gave out the wrong ashes, took money for funeral plans without making arrangements, and stole charity donations. Prosecutor Steven Ball said the total sentence should be between 20 and 25 years, calling it an “unprecedented case”.
Financial misconduct
Financial records showed Bush spent more than £42,000 on holidays, £21,000 on motorcycle racing, and £17,400 on home improvements between 2017 and 2024. In 2022, the year he failed to cremate a baby and left it in a paper bag, he spent over £9,000 on camping. Prosecutors highlighted almost £10,000 in retail spending and £3,385 on restaurants. Between March 2017 and April 2024, nearly £1.49 million was transferred from Legacy business accounts to Bush’s personal account.
Court proceedings
More than 80 people have faced Bush in court or had their statements read. Many broke down describing his “callous” disregard. Police found 35 bodies and over 100 sets of ashes at Legacy’s Hessle Road premises in March 2024. Bush pleaded guilty to 30 counts of preventing a lawful burial, theft from 12 charities, 30 counts of fraud by false representation, four “foetus allegations” of fraud, and one count of fraudulent trading.
