Distraught families wept in court as they recounted the harrowing moment they discovered their loved ones had been left to decompose for months by a rogue funeral director.
Some told Hull Crown Court they had unknowingly cherished the ashes of complete strangers, while others spoke of the torment of learning that relatives' bodies had been abandoned in cardboard coffins, despite believing cremations had already taken place.
Bush, who operated Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire, sat in the dock with his head bowed and displayed no visible emotion as victims delivered powerful impact statements on the opening day of his five-day sentencing hearing.
'My lovely dad lay in a cardboard coffin'
Karen King, whose 94 year old father Norman Bridger's body was recovered from Legacy's premises a full 10 months after his passing, said she was tormented by the knowledge he had been left wearing the grey T-shirt in which he died.
She told the court: "My lovely dad lay in a cardboard coffin for almost 11 months. It is beyond belief. I'll never know why. It feels he was just forgotten."
"When the police officers knocked on my door and gave me the news that dad may still be at the funeral home, the feelings I had were overwhelming."
"My partner, David, and I broke down in tears. How could someone be so cruel? Why would he just leave him there?"
'Not one but two funerals'
Kathryn Howard, whose partner Jonathan Butler's body remained at the funeral home for eight months, said she had been forced to endure "not one but two funerals". Fighting back tears, she said: "I feel like I've let John down by choosing Legacy, by trusting Rob Bush."
"I just can't believe what that man has done. How can he hurt people like that?"
"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."
'He took this away from me'
Byron Lill recounted how his family had carefully dressed his mother, Muriel Winning, in her wedding dress because she believed she would be reunited with her late husband after death. Instead, her body was left at the funeral home for seven months.
Mr Lill stated: "All the hard work and tireless care we willingly gave mum was for nothing. She protected us her whole life from mistreatment, and it feels that the one time I could repay her and protect her, I couldn't. Bush took this away from me."
'I will never forgive Bush'
Christina George sobbed as she recalled scattering what she believed were her brother Raymond Dagnall's ashes at Bridlington Harbour, only to subsequently learn he had never been cremated.
She told the court: "Raymond was my brother. He didn't deserve this. I will never forgive Bush for his neglect and complete lack of respect."
"I try and think of all the good memories I have of us growing up as children together, but I keep coming back in my mind to him laying forgotten on a rack."
Other bereaved families recounted receiving ashes in cardboard boxes and paper bags, having been assured they were those of their loved ones, only to subsequently discover this was not the case.
'This would have been her worst nightmare'
David Gorbutt revealed he had promised his wife Susan a swift cremation as she "did not like the cold". Instead, he discovered her body had remained at the funeral home for six months.
He said: "This would have been her worst nightmare."
'Bone density' excuse
Shirley Wright's daughter Jayne Rimmington said Bush attributed the unusually heavy ashes she received to her mother's "bone density". She later found out her mother's body had never been cremated, and was devastated to discover a photograph of dogs had been found among her belongings, despite her mother's dislike of them.
'Determined effort to destroy lives'
Nigel Hotham, nephew of Mark Hotham, insisted Bush's conduct was "not just an error of judgment".
"It feels like a determined effort to destroy so many lives," he said. "You are supposed to trust a funeral director."
John Banyard, who made arrangements for his friend John Carlill's funeral, recalled how Bush had shaken his hand and wished him "God bless".
He said: "If you can't trust a funeral undertaker, who can you trust? How can someone be so callous, cold and calculated?"
'Ashes we had cared for weren't my dad'
Sarah Gray disclosed that her family had kept what they believed to be her father Terence Buck's ashes at home, until police confirmed his body was still inside the funeral home.
"It's heartbreaking to know the ashes we had cared for in our house weren't my dad," she said.
Rea Burton revealed Bush had told her he would go and "dig him out" before returning with what he claimed were her grandfather David Burton's ashes.
She subsequently discovered the family had been handed the remains of a complete stranger instead.
"We had mistakenly placed our trust in Rob," she said. "He had abandoned and hidden our loved one for months and had given us a stranger's ashes with a smile on his face."
'Lack of oversight'
Tony Munro's daughter Jade condemned what she characterised as insufficient oversight within the funeral sector after discovering her father lying on a table instead of resting in a coffin just before his service.
"It is clear that such a lucrative business should have checks and balances," she said.
Relatives also recounted having jewellery crafted from ashes they thought belonged to family members, dispersing remains at meaningful locations and wearing lockets containing ashes that were subsequently found to belong to another person.
Stephen Perrins' family were heartbroken to find he had been taken from the bespoke coffin they had inscribed with messages and transferred into a cardboard casket.
Joan Stark's daughter Lynne Jeffries explained she had persistently contacted Legacy requesting her mother's ashes, only to eventually uncover she had never been cremated.
Brian Johnson's daughter Yvonne recalled Bush had seemed "kind and empathetic" during the funeral preparations.
"I recall thinking what a nice man he was and that he was in the right job," she said. "How wrong that turned out to be."
'I despise Robert Bush'
Graham Finn's granddaughter Mollie addressed the court directly, declaring: "I despise Robert Bush for the pain and anguish he has caused, not only to my family but to so many others."
"He showed no respect for the dead, no consideration for the living, and no sign of human decency."
The sentencing hearing for Bush is ongoing.
