'No sentence can undo the hurt' - police who investigated Robert Bush speak after criminal funeral director is jailed

Disgraced funeral director Robert Bush has been jailed for 20 years after a court hearing revealed the catastrophic scale of his crimes against bereaved families across Hull.

Bush, 48, formerly of Kirk Ella but later of East Busk Lane Otley in West Yorkshire, admitted 67 offences spanning 12 years. These included 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, 30 counts of fraud by false representation, theft from 12 charities, and fraudulent trading of funeral plans. At Hull Crown Court on Friday, Mr Justice Hilliard sentenced him after an investigation that began in March 2024.

When police raided Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, they discovered 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes. Most bodies had been left far longer than necessary. Families had been told their loved ones were cremated when this had not happened. Some were given ashes of other people. Bush defrauded nearly 200 families out of more than £500,000 and sold fake funeral plans to 226 pensioners.

Detective Superintendent Alan Curtis, the senior investigating officer, stated: "There is absolutely no sentence that can be given to Robert Bush that will undo the hurt that has been caused." The judge echoed this, saying: "No sentence I pass can put right the harm that the defendant has done."

Bush will serve approximately half his sentence before becoming eligible for parole and has been barred from being a company director for 14 years. Bereaved families expressed devastation at the sentence length. Michaela Baldwin, whose stepfather Danny Middleton was among the victims, said: "It's less than one year for each person which is really upsetting."

The case exposed systemic failures in funeral industry regulation. The judge noted there had been "no checks over many years" and "no oversight at all." Following the sentencing, Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper pledged the government would bring forward "comprehensive proposals to ensure respect and dignity for the deceased," including proper regulation of the funeral sector.