Robert Bush Faces Sentencing for 67 Funeral Offences After 35 Bodies Were Found
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 27
Robert Bush Faces Sentencing for 67 Funeral Offences After 35 Bodies Were Found
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 27
Summary
Hull Crown Court is due to sentence former funeral director Robert Bush, 48, after he admitted 67 offences tied to Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
Thirty-five bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes were found at the Hull premises in March 2024, including Peter Moody's body three months after his funeral and one body left there for a year.
Bush pleaded guilty to 30 counts of preventing lawful and decent burial, 35 fraud counts over funeral plans, fraudulent trading and theft of money collected for 12 charities.
Joanne Moody said the ordeal had "crucified" her but that sentencing marked a pivotal step in recovery, while other families and charities said Bush exploited mourners at their most vulnerable.
The case has shaken Hull families and charities alike, with relatives forced to hold second funerals and confront abuses by a funeral director who handled more than 2,000 funerals.
How did dozens of bodies and ashes remain undiscovered at a Hull funeral home for so long—and will Robert Bush’s sentencing change funeral regulation?
After Peter Moody’s body was found months after his funeral, how can families know a funeral director is truly caring for their loved one?
67 Offences, 100+ Victims: The Robert Bush Sentencing and the Unregulated UK Funeral Industry Crisis
Overview
The Legacy Independent Funeral Directors scandal began when concerns about the care of the deceased led Humberside Police to raid the Hull premises in March 2024, uncovering 35 bodies and over 100 sets of ashes. Forensic investigations revealed that many bodies had been kept far beyond scheduled cremations and that families had received the wrong ashes, causing hundreds of families deep distress and forcing some to hold second funerals. Robert Bush, the owner, pleaded guilty to 67 offences and faced sentencing in July 2026. The scandal exposed a lack of regulation in the UK funeral sector, prompting industry bodies and campaigners to demand urgent reforms and government action to restore public trust.