Funeral director left bodies to rot and gave families ashes of strangers in horrifying admission

A funeral director is facing jail time after admitting that he prevented the burials of 30 bodies and stole donations made to charities by mourners.

Robert Bush was arrested by police in March 2024 after authorities had investigated Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, following a report about a 'concern for care of the deceased'.

After raiding the premises, police discovered 35 bodies and 100 sets of suspected human ashes. The remains included four babies who were lost in pregnancy.

Once the horrifying news came to light, police received more than 2,000 calls from desperate members of the public, who were worried the ashes they were told were their loved ones actually belonged to strangers.

Michaela Baldwin was handed what she thought was her step-father Danny Middleton's ashes by the funeral home, only to find out his body had remained on-site the whole time.

She told ITV News: "We had already had a funeral, we had got ashes - thinking that they were his - and then to be told, no it's not, that his body was still at the building - it's really hard to put that into words, what goes through your mind.

"There's upset, shock, anger, just a big rollercoaster of emotions."

Michaela Baldwin's was told her step-father had been cremated, but that was a lie (Sky News)

She told Sky News she spotted warning signs something was amiss at the funeral, saying the coffin was 'too small'.

She said: "He was a big guy. You know, chubby guy. It was too small for him to fit in it."

Four months later, police identified Danny's body at the funeral home by a hospital band still on his wrist.

Michaela said: "Just thinking about him laying there and being forgotten when he wasn't that kind of guy.

"We all loved him to bits and you start thinking, 'We've let you down.'"

The Sun reports that another of the victims - Norman Bridger, 94 - had been at the funeral home for almost a year before police discovered his remains.

Today (2 April), Bush pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court today (2 April), to 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, and one of theft from 12 charities.

These included the Salvation Army and Macmillan Cancer Support.

The Brit also admitted to presenting families with the ashes of strangers and even fraudulently selling funeral plans, with his sentencing set for 27 July.

It is reported that Bush was in financial trouble and did the unthinkable to raise money.

Bush pleaded guilty to a over 30 charges brought against him (Humberside Police)

The BBC reports that Judge Mr Justice Hilliard stated that a 'custodial sentence is inevitable in this case', before releasing him on bail.

According to Humberside Police, all the charges dated from a period from May 2012 to 6 March 2024.

The Sun reports Bush earned £1,600 each time, for cremations which never happened.

In court, the clark took 10 minutes to read out 31 charges, as families of the victim compared the situation to 'a horror movie', as another said: “They should throw away the key. What he has done is unhuman.”

The police operation was one of the biggest and most complex ever carried out, spanning over 10 months and involving 130 officers, with 13,000 exhibits obtained.

A dozen relatives of the victims were present in the public gallery, with Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC telling the court that there would be 240 victim impact statements from those who had been affected by the horrific case.

They will be presented before the sentencing hearing, as he added: "The fraudulent trading relates to funeral plans involving over 150 individuals."

Michaela said outside court to the BBC: "What hurts us is that Bush has pleaded guilty but he is allowed to walk out of court today. He should have been remanded."

The investigation into Bush was one of the most extensive ever conducted (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

She claims that he was motivated by money, referencing his demeanour in court by saying: "He didn't look any of us [the victims' families] in the eye.

"The judge should throw the book at him."

Det Supt Al Curtis said outside court that the 'utter devastation and emotional harm cannot be underestimated' when it comes to Bush, as he caused families 'unimaginable' distress and 'irreparable' damage to communities.

He spoke of the 'extraordinary strength' shown by affected families who were involved in the investigation and lost loved ones.

The funeral director previously admitted 35 offences of fraud by false representation, and a separate offence of fraudulently running a business.