Hull funeral director to appear in court on 65 charges after bodies and suspicious ashes found
A funeral director accused of 65 crimes has appeared in court after bodies and suspected human ashes were found at his Hull premises.
Robert Bush, 47, formerly from Kirk Ella, faces dozens of charges spanning more than a decade following a major investigation involving Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
He faces 30 counts of preventing a lawful burial and a string of other charges relating to bodies found at the funeral home’s sites in Hull.
He arrived at his plea hearing at Hull Crown Court today with his face covered, and only spoke to confirm his name and personal details.
No pleas were entered, and Bush was bailed to appear for his plea hearing on October 15.
The 47-year-old, now from Otley, West Yorkshire, is also accused of theft from 12 charities, including the Salvation Army, Macmillan Cancer Support, Help for Heroes and the RNLI.
It comes months after Humberside Police launched its investigation into the funeral home after reports of ‘concern for care of the deceased’ in March last year.
The force opened a dedicated phone line for families concerned about their loved ones’ ashes, with more than 2,000 calls logged a month after the probe started.
Police outside the Beckside branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
Bush was charged in April following a ‘complex, protracted and highly sensitive 10-month investigation,’ Deputy Chief Constable Dave Marshall said.
The investigation focused on the firm’s three sites in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Deputy Chief Constable Marshall said previously: ‘As the investigation now moves into the courts and judicial process, I would please ask people to refrain from any speculation or commenting that could prejudice or jeopardise the case, and to allow those affected to get the answers they desperately need and rightly deserve.
Robert Bush (left) stepped out from court after a previous hearing on June 25 (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
‘My sincerest thanks go out to those affected for their patience and understanding.
‘They have always been the priority and at the very heart of the entire investigation and this will remain, and we would please ask their privacy is continued to be respected.’
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