A funeral director was described as a 'horror scene' after a 'large number of bodies' were discovered. One sergeant was left utterly shocked after discovering a paper bag and opening it to find a foetus inside at Legacy in Hull.
Discovery of bodies
Prosecuting, Chris Paxton KC said a sergeant found a bag and initially thought it contained a baby bird and only realised it was a human foetus because of a hospital ID band around the baby's wrist which said 'Baby of Jasmine Beverley' with a date next to it.
Officers also discovered a naked dead body left lying on the floor and dead bodies with hospital ID bracelets still on their wrists and ankles. Flowers and teddies had been swept to the sides on the floor.
Arrest and confession
When Robert Bush was later arrested on a plane after returning from a holiday to Arizona he told officers: 'I f***** it all up, everything my whole world.'
Mr Paxton said Bush 'breached trust on an almost industrial scale in a myriad of ways' by selling funeral plans when not authorised to do so, failing to bury bodies and providing the wrong ashes. Paxton says Bush 'raised expectations, made false promises' and stole charity donations. His crimes 'impacted young and old alike across the community of Hull and beyond.'
Background to the scandal
A judge was told the scandal came to light after two other funeral directors and another man, Patrick Moore, were brought in to assist Bush by collecting a body from a care home while he was absent in March 2024.
The court heard Mr Moore informed the funeral directors that Bush had previously instructed him not to bring anyone back to Legacy. 'He believed it was due to the smells coming from the fridge,' the prosecutor said. He also told them: 'You two don't know the half of it, bodies have been there for years.' He said he counted up to 29 bodies and described it as 'something from a horror scene'.
The directors were 'shocked by what they saw' and flagged down a passing police car and relayed the details, before three officers attended the site.
Police investigation
Inside, police discovered 'a large number of human bodies within a cold storage area' in the building, Hull Crown Court heard. The bodies were 'stored on the racks on both sides of the room' and the 'vast majority were uncovered and in varying states of decomposition', he adds. There was 'evidence of human putrefaction', says Paxton, prosecuting.
'Many bodies had hospital identity bracelets on their wrists or ankles. Some had biological hazard bracelets on, while others had no identifying markers,' he said.
Financial details
Relatives gasped as a court heard Robert Bush had £3.7 million paid into his bank account over seven years. However, the court heard the turnover declared to HMRC during these years does not match that figure. The prosecutor claims that the total amount swindled from customers exceeded £500,000. The sentencing is ongoing.
