A funeral director has appeared in court charged with 63 offences, spanning more than a decade, after a major investigation into human remains found at his premises.
Robert Bush, 47, faces 30 counts of preventing a lawful burial and 30 counts of fraud by false representation, relating to bodies found at the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors site on Hessle Road in Hull, in March last year.
Those charges date from between April 2023 and March 2024.
He has also been charged with one count of fraudulent trading in relation to funeral plans and one count of fraud by false representation in relation to human ashes.
These charges are between May 2012 and March 2024, and August 2017 and March 2024, respectively.
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The 47-year-old is also accused of theft from 12 charities: the Salvation Army, Macmillan Cancer Support, CHIEF, the Dogs Trust, Dove House, Help for Heroes, Maister Lodge, Oakwood Dog Rescue, RNLI, Sailors Children’s Charity, WISHH and Hull Fishing Heritage Charity.
Bush, formerly of Kirk Ella, East Yorkshire, but now of Otley, West Yorkshire, attended a five-minute hearing at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, where he spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, and address.
He was not asked to indicate any pleas as the charges and names of 30 alleged victims were read out.
Bush was told 30 of the charges could only be dealt with at a crown court, and his case was adjourned until 13 August, when he will appear at Hull Crown Court.
He was bailed with conditions to attend a local police station every day from Monday to Friday.
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The charges of fraud – relating to named victims – allege that Bush falsely claimed:
• He would “properly care for the remains of the deceased in accordance with the normal expected practices of a competent funeral director”
• Bush would “arrange for the cremation of those remains to take place immediately or soon after the conclusion of the funeral service”
• And he would ensure “the ashes presented to the customer were the remains of the deceased person after cremation”.
Humberside Police launched its investigation into Legacy Independent Funeral Directors across three premises in Hull and East Yorkshire in March last year.
