Express & Star
·Jul 2026
Crooked funeral director gave victims strangers’ ashes with a smile on his face
A sentencing hearing at Hull Crown Court heard that funeral director Robert Bush abused the trust of grieving families over 12 years through Legacy Independent Funeral Directors. Bodies were allegedly left for months in poor conditions, families received incorrect ashes, funeral plans were not arranged, and charity donations were stolen. Victims described receiving strangers’ ashes, discovering other people’s belongings with relatives’ remains, and having loved ones moved from personalised coffins into cardboard boxes. The misconduct was uncovered after Bush asked directors of Evergreen Funeral Directors to recover a body while he was abroad; police then found 29 bodies in varying states of decomposition, including the remains of an unborn baby in a paper bag. Prosecutors also told the court that more than £3 million entered Bush’s business and personal accounts between 2017 and 2024, while £879,655.94 was spent or transferred to his wife, Vikki Bush.