Dave Higgens

Bereaved families told Hull Crown Court that funeral director Rob Bush left their relatives’ bodies decomposing for months at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. Several families said they received strangers’ ashes, while others learned that bodies they believed had been cremated remained at the funeral home in cardboard coffins or on tables. Victims described having to hold additional funerals, scattering incorrect ashes and creating memorial jewellery from remains that were not those of their loved ones. The accounts were delivered during the opening day of Bush’s five-day sentencing hearing, with relatives also criticizing the lack of oversight in the funeral sector.

A 19-year-old kayaker, Michael Henry from Northumberland, is presumed dead after his kayak capsized near Boulmer on July 7. His companion survived after reaching a buoy and being rescued by the coastguard. Northumbria Police ended search operations after extensive efforts at sea and along the coast. Henry’s family expressed gratitude for public support and paid tribute to him as a much-loved and active young man preparing for travel and university. Police extended condolences and requested privacy for the family.