A former funeral director has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting dozens of offences involving the mistreatment of the deceased and defrauding grieving families.
Robert Bush was sentenced at Hull Crown Court after pleading guilty to 67 offences, including denying 30 people a proper burial or cremation and fraud offences linked to providing families with ashes that did not belong to their loved ones.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Hilliard described Bush’s conduct as “shocking and disgraceful”, telling the court his actions had caused “anguish and pain on a scale beyond comprehension” for victims and their families.
The sentencing followed a week of emotional hearings during which relatives described Bush as a “con man” who had betrayed their trust at one of the most difficult times in their lives. Defence lawyers accepted that greed and incompetence had likely contributed to his offending.
Among the most distressing cases was that of Jasmine Beverley, whose stillborn son, Sunny-Beverley Conlin, was discovered in a paper bag on the floor of Bush’s funeral premises nearly two years after his death.
Speaking after the sentencing, Beverley said Bush had targeted vulnerable families who could least afford expensive funerals, adding that the trauma of his actions would remain with her for the rest of her life.
Karen Dry, who entrusted Bush with the funerals of both her parents, welcomed the prison sentence but said no punishment could fully reflect the suffering caused to victims.
She called for a public inquiry into the case and urged the government to introduce stricter regulation of the funeral industry, saying every family deserves dignity and respect after the death of a loved one.
Labour MP Emma Hardy described Bush’s crimes as appalling and praised the strength shown by affected families throughout the investigation and court proceedings.
In addition to the custodial sentence, Bush was disqualified from serving as a company director for 14 years after the judge found he had acted dishonestly over an extended period and abused his position while operating his business.
Under current sentencing rules, Bush will initially serve half of his 20-year sentence in custody before becoming eligible for release on licence, subject to the approval of the Parole Board. Any breach of his licence conditions or further offending could result in his return to prison.
The case has also intensified calls for tighter regulation of funeral directors.
The National Association of Funeral Directors said it had no knowledge that Bush had been operating from the premises where many of the offences occurred after his membership of the organisation lapsed in 2020.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities said the case represented one of the most distressing failures ever seen within the profession and reiterated its support for the introduction of statutory regulation to strengthen oversight of funeral directors.
The investigation began after police searched Bush’s funeral premises in Hull in 2024, where they discovered dozens of bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes, prompting one of the largest investigations of its kind in the UK.
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