A funeral director in Hull, England, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for failing to bury or cremate his clients’ remains and stealing charitable donations.
Robert Bush, 48, was sentenced Friday on 67 charges stemming from 12 years at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
According to The Independent, Bush stored bodies for months after they should have been cremated, distributed incorrect ashes to families, pocketed money for funeral arrangements without making them, and stole charity donations collected at burial ceremonies.
In March 2024, police were called to the funeral house on Hessle Road, where they discovered 35 dead and almost 100 sets of ashes.
There were 31 bodies that should have been incinerated months ago, including a stillborn kid who had spent nearly two years on the floor in a paper bag.
Jasmine Beverley, the mother of Sunny Beverley-Conlin, commented after the sentencing. “He’s targeted the poor, the people who can’t afford the £4,000 [$5,300] funerals,” Beverley told the BBC. “That’s what he’s done, so he can go on holidays and buy nice things while we’re struggling to pay his funeral costs.”
She stated that “the evil that he committed against so many people” will be with her forever.
Bush pleaded guilty in April to 30 counts of delaying a lawful and appropriate burial, as well as stealing from 12 organizations, including the Salvation Army and a cancer support agency. He acknowledged four “fetus allegations,” including giving ashes to mourning families and informing them that they were “the remains of their unborn.”
He pleaded guilty to fraud for 57 people’s ashes between 2017 and 2024, as well as fraudulent trading for funeral plans from 2012 to 2024. According to Member of Parliament Emma Hardy, who represents many of the victims, no penalty can totally compensate for the grief and suffering caused nor bring complete justice to the families. However, this 20-year sentence acknowledges the gravity of these acts and the tremendous impact they have had on so many individuals.
Judge Nicholas Hilliard requested to read a full list of Bush’s spending. “I think people who lost money will want to know what happened,” he added.
Bush paid $5,100 for a vacation to Italy, $8,600 to Center Parks, an outdoor experience company, and $4,000 for a trip to Arizona with his daughter. His criminal activities were revealed while he was in Arizona. He spent approximately $13,000 on retail items, including $4,500 at restaurants.
Between 2017 and 2024, approximately $2 million was transferred from the funeral home’s company accounts to Bush’s personal banking accounts, according to prosecutor Steven Ball.
The National Association of Funeral Directors informed the BBC that it had “no knowledge” Bush was running the funeral home. His membership in the organization expired in 2020. We did not inspect Legacy; we had no idea he was operating at that location because he relocated without alerting us. We’ve never seen the victims’ horrible situation firsthand,” CEO Andrew Judd said.
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