Hull funeral director who left bodies to rot in mortuary jailed for 20 years

Funeral director Robert Bush has been jailed for 20 years for leaving dozens of bodies, including a miscarried baby, in his Hull mortuary for extended periods, in some cases "rotting." He also admitted to giving bereaved families the wrong ashes, affecting hundreds of families over 12 years. Bush pleaded guilty to 67 offenses, including 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial. The court heard graphic details of the state of the bodies and premises, with over 80 victims sharing their distress. The government has announced plans to regulate the funeral industry in response to the case. Bush was arrested upon returning from a holiday funded by funeral fraud.

British funeral director Robert Bush has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes committed over 12 years at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull. Bush pleaded guilty to 67 charges, including preventing the lawful burial of bodies, theft, and fraud, affecting over 200 victims. Families were given the wrong ashes for their cremated loved ones, and some corpses were improperly retained for months. The investigation revealed a "horror scene" at the funeral home, with decomposing bodies found. Bush also defrauded 172 people of significant sums and stole charity donations collected at memorial services. The crimes came to light when a worker at Bush's funeral home alerted another firm while Bush was on vacation.