A funeral director, branded as “pure evil” by those he victimized, had his heartless treatment of deceased individuals exposed following a casual remark made by one of his employees.
Robert Bush, operating at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, allowed bodies to decay for extended periods and provided bereaved families with incorrect ashes, at times with a smirk. He is now up for sentencing on 67 counts of wrongdoing over a 12-year span, with more than a hundred impact statements from victims slated for court review.
The court was informed on Monday how Bush’s misdeeds came to light in March 2024 during his trip to Arizona, USA with his daughter. He sought assistance from Gary Pickering and Steve Emmerson of Evergreen Funeral Directors for body retrieval in his absence.
Upon receiving a tip from Patrick Moore, a part-time worker at Legacy, that Bush had prohibited bringing bodies back to the facility, suspicions arose about Legacy’s operations. Moore disclosed to Pickering and Emmerson that bodies had been stored for years, prompting them to investigate.
Following Moore’s recount of finding 29 bodies at Legacy, Pickering and Emmerson were granted access to the premises. The shocking scene they encountered led them to alert the police promptly.
Upon entering Bush’s premises on Hessle Road, police discovered numerous human bodies in a refrigerated area. The room contained decomposing bodies, some without identification, along with personal effects scattered around.
During the search, a police officer stumbled upon a small item wrapped in hospital wristbands, revealing the remains of Jasmine’s stillborn son, Sunny, left unattended for nearly two years.
Bush’s deceptive actions over the years, including keeping bodies past cremation deadlines, mishandling ashes, defrauding funeral plan payments, and pilfering charity funds, were described as a severe breach of trust by the grieving families.
The sentencing proceedings at Hull Crown Court, spanning five days, are anticipated to feature testimonies from over a hundred victims. Bush, previously residing in Kirk Ella, East Yorkshire, now in Otley, West Yorkshire, is in custody awaiting judgment.
