A stark contrast emerged between the public-facing area of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors and the reality discovered by investigators during a March 2024 raid. While the front room featured opulent yellow chairs and a print of a trawler designed to project a caring community image, the area behind a partition wall—an area Legacy's director Robert Bush ordered an employee to keep hidden from others in the industry—was a different story. It is a labyrinth of dimly-lit corridors.
Humberside Police officers documented the disorder. During the raid, authorities discovered 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes. Among the most distressing findings was a paper bag initially mistaken for a baby bird, which actually contained human remains accompanied by a hospital wristband identifying "Baby Jasmine Beverley," born on 13/05/22 at 05:04. On Wednesday, barristers described how damp and mould had spread to coffins, and that faeces and dried bodily fluids were seen on the floor.
Robert Bush is currently facing a five-day sentencing hearing at Hull Crown Court, which commenced on Monday. He has admitted to 67 offences, including failing to cremate and bury individuals and providing families with the wrong ashes. Prosecutors have argued that Bush breached the trust of families on an "almost industrial scale."
During his arrest, Bush attempted to downplay his actions, claiming he was not a "complicated" character and accusing the police of treating him in a way that felt "vindictive," even comparing his treatment to that of the Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. "It's strange, innit?" she remarks. As the court proceedings continue, relatives of the victims have provided impact statements, branding his actions as "evil" while expressing the profound grief caused by the discoveries at the Hessle Road site.
Boxes of tissues sit on a coffee table in a front room at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors. There are opulent chairs, upholstered in pale yellow; a black and white print of a trawler that nods to Hull's fishing heritage.
Since then, he has admitted 67 offences, including failing to bury and cremate people, and giving out wrong ashes.
