Robert Bush is due to be sentenced at Hull Crown Court after admitting 67 offences linked to Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull. The case centres on 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes found at the funeral business in March 2024.
He admitted 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, 35 counts of fraud by false representation, fraudulently running a business relating to funeral plans, and one count of theft. Joanne Moody, the daughter of Peter Moody, said: “It's broke me, it's crucified me.”
Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull
Police found Peter Moody’s body alongside 34 others and more than 100 sets of ashes at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull in March 2024. By then, one of the bodies had already been at the premises for a year. Bush was 48 and of Otley, West Yorkshire, when he entered his final guilty pleas in April 2024 and was granted conditional bail.
The theft count related to money stolen from collections meant for 12 charities, including Salvation Army and Macmillan Cancer Support. Bush also oversaw more than 2,000 funerals during his career, a scale that makes the number of affected families far wider than the bodies found at the premises alone.
Joanne Moody
Joanne Moody said, “It's a pivotal point in our recovery knowing that justice is being done.” She also said, “My dad was a person, he was not just a number or a statistic.”
Emma Hardy said Bush had “exploited the most vulnerable people” and added, “He tried to act like he cared, like he was their friend,”. Those remarks go to the gap between how he presented himself and the offences he admitted, including burial, fraud and theft.
Hull Crown Court for
What Robert Bush will be sentenced to at Hull Crown Court has not been stated in the available facts. For the families tied to Peter Moody and the others found at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in March 2024, the hearing is the point where the case moves from guilty pleas to punishment.
