A 'callous' funeral director stared impassively ahead as tearful families told a court how he abandoned their loved ones' bodies for months and gave them a stranger's ashes with a smile on his face.
Robert Bush, of Hull-based Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, faced a five-day sentencing hearing at Hull Crown Court on Monday, July 27. The court heard horrors including bodies left to rot on racks and an unborn baby found in a paper bag.
Families share their pain
Rea Burton, whose grandfather David Burton's body was recovered from Legacy four months after his death, said when she attended to collect his ashes, Bush said he would 'dig him out' and appeared with a bag. When she told him the family were having the ashes put into necklace charms and ink for a tattoo, Bush replied it was 'a brilliant idea'. Ms Burton said: 'We had mistakenly placed our trust in Rob. He did not treat grandad with the dignity and respect he deserved. 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.'
Byron Lill's mother, Muriel Winning, was dressed in her wedding dress as she wanted to be ready 'to meet her husband again'. Mr Lill said: '(My wife) Helen and I carried out her wishes and ensured she was dressed as she wanted…All this care was lost on Robert Bush.'
Shocking discoveries
Shirley Wright, whose body was recovered from Legacy five months after her death, was found with a photograph of dogs. Her daughter Jayne Rimmington said: 'This both shocked and upset me. Mum didn't have any dogs, she didn't even like them and we had not left any photographs with her. Not only had someone else's property been placed with mum, which felt a violation in itself, but another family had given Bush this photograph to be with their loved one and they were left without it.'
John Banyard, whose close friend John Carlill was found at Legacy, said: 'If you can't trust a funeral undertaker, who can you trust? How can someone be so callous, cold and calculated?'
Amy Leach, whose grandmother Audrey Leach's body was found after she had already been given ashes by Bush, tearfully told the court: 'I keep thinking, what if the initial cremation had gone ahead? We would never know if we were getting a person back or if we'd been conned with a handful of gravel. I know that we're lucky that we know exactly where grandma was and exactly where she is now. Others don't have that privilege and will never know.'
The family of Hilda 'Mary' Rhodes had jewellery made out of some of the ashes, which turned out to be the wrong ones. Her daughter Sarah Hepple said: 'For months, we've all carried a little piece of my mum round with us, only to then find out that what we had was a total stranger.'
How the crimes were uncovered
The court heard Bush's crimes were discovered by chance when he was on holiday in Arizona and contacted Gary Pickering and Steve Emmerson, directors of Evergreen Funeral Directors, to assist with a body recovery. Patrick Moore, a casual worker for Legacy, helped them collect the body from the care home but said Bush had told him 'not to bring anyone back to Legacy or help put a body into the fridge area'. Mr Moore then told the men: 'You two don't know the half of it, bodies have been there for years.'
After becoming suspicious, Mr Emmerson telephoned Mr Moore and asked how many bodies were there. Mr Moore counted up to 29, describing it as something from a 'horror scene'. Mr Emmerson and Mr Pickering persuaded Mr Moore to let them into Legacy's site on Hessle Road, despite him initially being afraid of 'repercussions'. The two men were 'shocked' at what they saw and flagged down a passing police car to report it.
The court heard that when police attended, they found bodies stored on racks in a cold storage area, with the vast majority 'uncovered and in varying states of decomposition'. The funeral home was 'dirty and unkempt', with items including flowers, rings, teddies and cards on the floor that 'loved ones would have wanted to stay with their deceased family members'. During the search, a police officer found a brown paper bag containing a 'tiny item' which he initially thought was a baby bird, but had two hospital wristbands wrapped around the waist with the words, 'Baby of Jasmine Beverley, born on 13/05/22 at 05:04'.
Financial mismanagement
The court heard that between March 2017 and April 2024, more than £3 million was paid into Bush's business and personal accounts, but the turnover reported to HMRC in these years does not reflect this. During this time, Bush's 'profligate personal spending and transfers to his wife, Vikki Bush, account for £879,655.94', said Mr Paxton. He told the court: 'The financial situation within the business was not dire, but likely mismanaged, and the expenditure reflected Mr Bush's priorities and not those whom he was meant to be serving. For all of Mr Bush's claims about his finances, it should be borne in mind that the cost of a single cremation was around £500, and yet Mr Bush chose not to deal with those bodies entrusted to him but to operate as he chose and spend the money on himself and others.'
