A formal move to dissolve Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, the firm at the centre of a police inquiry, has stalled in court because Hull City Council could not reach the company's directors or employees.
At Hull Combined Court, solicitor advocate Paul Thompson, representing the council, said the winding-up petition could “not be served” under insolvency rules as there was “no one from the company managing the business affairs”. The case has been adjourned to a later date.
Legacy is alleged to owe £51,508.46 in unpaid fees and charges, including cremation fees, to Hull City Council, and a further £2,000 to East Riding of Yorkshire Council for burial fees. The company had been making repayments under a County Court Judgement, with the most recent payment on 29 February, about a week before police began their investigation.
Companies House records show Legacy faced multiple strike-off warnings between January 2022 and March 2024, but each was discontinued or temporarily suspended after objections. The police investigation began on 6 March following concerns about the storage and management of the deceased at the firm's Hessle Road premises, where 35 bodies and a quantity of ashes were recovered. Police have said the ashes cannot be identified due to DNA degradation from cremation.
A 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation, and fraud by abuse of position have been released on bail pending further inquiries.
