Legacy Funeral Directors Case: East Yorkshire man admits remaining 31 charges as families left devastated

Robert Bush, 48-years-old, formerly of Kirk Ella, East Yorkshire, previously appeared at Hull Crown Court on Wednesday, October 15 where he entered guilty pleas for 34 charges, mostly relating to fraud, and not guilty pleas for the remaining 31 charges.

Appearing at Hull Crown Court today (April 2) Bush was read the list of the remaining 31 charges against him before pleading guilty to all of them, detailed below as read out in court:

• 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial in relation to the recovery of the deceased from the premise on Hessle Road between April 2023 and March 2024
• One count of theft from charities between 1 September, 2017 and 6 March, 2023

A report was received on March 6, 2024, of concern for the care of the deceased at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors at the Hessle Road premise in Hull.

Officers attended and over the next few days, 35 bodies were transported from the premise to the mortuary, where a formal identification process commenced.

It was determined that, of the 35 deceased, only four should have been in situ at the premise, with others being identified as having been there much longer than necessary.

A support line was provided to allow anyone affected or with concerns to speak with police, with over 1500 calls being received in the first week alone.

Forensic teams also recovered large quantities of what was believed to be human ashes from the Hessle Road premise, some with name labels and letters attached to the box.

It soon became apparent as the investigation progressed, that the families of those with name labels or letters providing some form of identification had already received ashes.

In the weeks that followed, forensic scientists and specialists assisted with analysis to try and determine whether it was possible to extract DNA from the human ashes in order to identify them.

The high temperature required to carry out a cremation meant that the DNA had been broken down and degraded to such a level that recovering a meaningful DNA profile was not possible.

Further enquiries established some people were still waiting to receive ashes – these ashes were never identified or located at the premises.

As the investigation continued detectives uncovered Bush’s fraudulent trading in relation to funeral plans, where he would take payment for the plans, but not pass any of the money on to the financial institutions who would hold it for when the funeral was required.

In addition, theft from charities was uncovered whereby a family member had passed donations collected at funerals to Bush, to send on to their chosen charity, which he failed to do.

Bush was arrested at London Heathrow Airport on his return from America on March 10, 2024. On January 20, 2025, evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), resulting in Bush being charged on April 2, 2025.

He was bailed to appear at Hull Magistrates’ Court on June 25, 2025, and further bailed until his hearing at Hull Crown Court on August, 13, 2025.

The case was postponed after the August hearing until October 15, 2025, where he entered mixed pleas, admitting 36 offences but pleading not guilty to the further 31 charges.

A trial date was set for October 5, 2026, however an additional hearing was then scheduled for today, April 2, 2026, where Bush pleaded guilty to the remaining 31 charges.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Alan Curtis said: “The utter devastation and emotional harm Robert Bush has caused to hundreds of victims and families cannot be underestimated.

“They trusted he would look after those who meant the most to them, and that he would treat their loved ones with dignity, respect and in accordance with their wishes. This did not happen. “Thirty-one families believed that their loved one had been cremated, when in fact they remained on site within the Legacy premises on Hessle Road. Most had been given ashes and had been advised that their loved ones’ cremation had taken place.

“Other families, who had chosen cremations through Legacy, were left waiting for ashes that have never been provided, or were deceived by Bush and given ashes that we now know were not their loved ones. “The distress and devastation that this has caused for those families is simply unimaginable.”

Julie Butcher, Victim Support Humberside Area Manager said: “We understand the significance of today’s news for everyone affected by the Legacy Funeral Home incident. Victim Support continues to offer free support and advice to anyone impacted.

“As an independent charity, our services are completely confidential and we can help with a wide range of questions and support needs. Get in touch via our website or call us on 0808 28 111 36 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

"You can also visit affectedbycrime.com to find out further information."