Disgraced funeral boss who failed to bury bodies jailed

News imageHumberside Police Robert Bush with short, light brown hair is shown in a straight‑on mugshot photograph. He has a neutral expression and is wearing a dark jacket over a red shirt. The background is plain and grey.Humberside Police
Robert Bush "caused anguish and pain on a scale beyond comprehension", a judge said

A disgracedfuneral director who failed to bury or cremate people and gave bereaved relatives the ashes of strangers has been jailed for 20 years.

Robert Bush admitted 67 offences after 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes were found by police raiding Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull in March 2024.

At Hull Crown Court, Judge Justice Hilliard told the former undertaker he had "caused anguish and pain on a scale beyond comprehension".

He also barred Bush, who defrauded nearly 200 families out of £500,000, from being a company director for 14 years.

Hilliard told the sentencing hearing: "I have no doubt that the defendant behaved in such a deceitful way because of financial greed.

"He must have a heartless side to him - which allowed him to treat the living and the dead in the way he did, and he was very confident he would get away with what he was doing."

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.