Lucy Ness, 28, has told of her horror after discovering she was given animal ashes instead of her baby's remains. She has now joined forces with three other bereaved mums who suffered the unbearable heartache of losing a child before being further tortured by cruel funeral director Robert Bush. The mums told of their devastation in court this week at his sentencing hearing.
Lucy had just received more shocking news from the police when she spoke to the Mirror earlier this month. The ashes she was given were not only fake, they belonged to some kind of animal. "I found out this morning that I will never know what happened to my baby's ashes," she said. "Police had an expert in, who opened up the ashes I was given. They told me when they cremate a baby they grind them with their hands but when animals are cremated there are lumps with bones. People bring animals in to be cremated with loved ones. He'd handed me back animal ashes! It's sickening, to think if my baby was even scattered or just tossed in the bin with no care."
Lucy's story: from joy to devastation
During Covid lockdown in 2021, Lucy was delighted to find out she was pregnant after being warned she may never be able to have children because she had polycystic ovaries. Tragically, she lost her baby at 11 weeks and five days in April 2021. A friend recommended Legacy, and Robert Bush told her: "I promise you I will take care of the baby, you can put your trust in me." She picked up what she thought were her baby's ashes on May 11, but later police discovered the real ashes were not collected until May 13. "It's bizarre," she said.
Three other mums join fight for law change
Katie Woolston, 28, had gone to Legacy after her fourth miscarriage and now fears her child was dumped in a bin. She was heavily pregnant when police told her her baby was never cremated. She said: "All I can think about is he's put it in the bin. It tears me to pieces." Jasmine Beverley, 40, discovered her son Sunny Beverley-Conlin had been kept at the funeral home for two years, found in a cooler on the floor in a brown paper bag. "He had him for two years and I had him for two days," she said. Stacey Foster, 28, was given the wrong ashes and had jewellery made from a stranger's ashes, believing they were her son Tommy's. Later, Tommy's real ashes were found at the crematorium.
Calls for regulation of the funeral industry
The mums are calling for a change in the law, as babies born before 24 weeks are not legally recognized as persons. Jasmine said: "It's treating our loss like it was a stolen credit card." Lucy added: "A baby is a baby no matter what. The law needs to be changed to stop any other funeral director doing this." Robert Bush, of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, faces sentencing for fraud by misrepresentation.
