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UK funeral director pleads guilty to defrauding families over remains
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 15, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 15, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Robert Bush, a UK funeral director, pleads guilty to 35 fraud charges involving human remains, including unborn babies. Trial for additional charges is set for next year.
LONDON (Reuters) -A British funeral director on Wednesday pleaded guilty to more than 30 charges of fraud after a police investigation into human remains at his business, including some charges relating to unborn babies.
Robert Bush appeared at Hull Crown Court and admitted 35 charges relating to dishonestly telling the families and friends of the deceased that he would provide proper care for their remains and arrange for their cremation between April 2023 and March 2024.
Four of the charges to which he entered guilty pleas related to unborn babies, and stated that he had dishonestly made false representations that "the ashes presented to the customer were the remains of their unborn knowing that the same was, or might be, untrue or misleading".
The 47-year-old also pleaded guilty to a charge of fraudulent trading, and a general fraud charge relating to his business, Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, northern England.
He pleaded not guilty to 30 charges of preventing a lawful and decent burial, and a charge of theft involving stealing money from numerous charities. He will face trial over those offences in October next year.
Bush was charged earlier this year after concerns were raised about the care of the deceased at his funeral business.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin and Michael Holden; editing by William James)
Fraud is the act of deceiving someone for personal gain, often involving financial transactions. It can include various schemes such as identity theft, credit card fraud, and misrepresentation.
A funeral director is a professional who manages funeral services, including the preparation of the deceased, arranging transportation, and coordinating memorial services for families.
Cremation is the process of reducing a deceased body to ashes through high-temperature burning. It is an alternative to traditional burial and is often chosen for various personal or cultural reasons.
A charitable project is an initiative aimed at providing help or support to a specific cause or community, often funded by donations or grants to address social issues.
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