A funeral director who failed to bury dozens of people and provided incorrect ashes to grieving families has been accused of breaching their trust "on an almost industrial scale." Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, is facing a five-day sentencing hearing at Hull Crown Court.

In March 2024, police discovered the scale of the horror when they raided the premises. They found 35 bodies and over 100 sets of ashes, many in a state of decomposition. The court heard that the discovery was made by chance when Bush, who was on holiday in the US, asked other funeral directors to collect a body from a care home.

During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors described the grim scene. Bodies were found on cold storage racks and on a stretcher on the floor, with the vast majority uncovered and decomposing, including that of a stillborn baby. Bush, 48, had been entrusted by hundreds of families but "breached that trust on an almost industrial scale in a myriad of ways," prosecutor Chris Paxton KC told the court.

The court heard that a casual worker at Legacy, Patrick Moore, had been told by Bush not to bring bodies back to the premises. When suspicious undertakers questioned Moore about the number of bodies on site, he estimated up to 29 and described the scene as "something from a horror scene," adding that some bodies had been there for years.

The undertakers, disturbed by Moore's account, alerted a passing police car. Officers subsequently found a brown paper bag containing what they initially mistook for a baby bird. Closer inspection revealed two hospital wristbands identifying the remains as "Baby of Jasmine Beverley, born on 13/05/22." The funeral home was also found to be dirty and unkempt, with personal items like flowers, teddies, and cards strewn on the floor.

Bush, from Otley, West Yorkshire, was arrested upon his return to Heathrow Airport. He reportedly told officers that his daughter was unaware of the situation and that he had "deceived everyone." Of the remains found, most were of individuals over 60, with about six bodies awaiting cremation. One body had been on the premises for a year.

Bush had previously pleaded guilty to 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial and theft from 12 charities. Hundreds of victim impact statements are expected to be read during the sentencing, with the first detailing how one family received the wrong ashes, leading to their father's body remaining unburied for 10 months.

The hearing is expected to reveal further details of the breaches of trust and the impact on the families affected. The full extent of Bush's actions and the suffering caused to bereaved relatives will be laid bare as the court progresses through the week.