A funeral director has appeared in court charged with 63 offences spanning more than 10 years after a major investigation into human remains found at his premises.
Robert Bush, 47, faces 30 counts of preventing a lawful burial and 30 counts of fraud by false representation relating to bodies found at his firm, Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, in Hull in March last year.
The charges date from between April 2023 and March 2024.
He has also been charged with one count of fraud by false representation in relation to human ashes between August 2017 and March 2024, and one count of fraudulent trading in relation to funeral plans between May 2012 and March 2024.
There are said to be 50 alleged victims of the charge relating to human ashes and 172 victims of the fraud relating to funeral plans.
Bush is also accused of theft from 12 charities; the Salvation Army, Macmillan Cancer Support, CHIEF, the Dogs Trust, Dove House, Help for Heroes, Maister Lodge, Oakwood Dog Rescue, RNLI, Sailors Children’s Charity, WISHH and Hull Fishing Heritage Charity.
Wearing a dark grey three-piece suit with a purple tie and pocket square, Bush spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address during the five-minute hearing at Hull Magistrates’ Court.
He sat behind his solicitor in the courtroom and was not asked to indicate any pleas as the charges and names of 30 alleged victims, some of whose families attended the hearing via video-link, were read out.
Bush, formerly of Kirk Ella, East Yorkshire, but now of Otley, West Yorkshire, was told that 30 of the charges could only be dealt with at crown court, and his case was adjourned until August 13 at Hull Crown Court.
District Judge Daniel Curtis bailed him with conditions to attend Bridlington Police Station every day from Monday to Friday.
Bush left court by the back entrance, wearing a baseball cap and dark glasses, with a police car driving in front of the car he was in as it left.
The 30 charges of fraud relating to named victims allege that he dishonestly made false representations claiming that he would ‘properly care for the remains of the deceased in accordance with the normal expected practices of a competent funeral director’, ‘arrange for the cremation of those remains to take place immediately or soon after the conclusion of the funeral service’ and that ‘the ashes presented to the customer were the remains of the deceased person after cremation’.
Humberside Police launched an investigation into Legacy Independent Funeral Directors across three premises in Hull and East Yorkshire in March last year.
