Shirley Ann Wright’s heartbroken daughter said: ‘We trusted him. I had never organised a funeral before. Why would I ever doubt what he was telling us?’
Shirley Wright
On Friday, July 31 2026, Hull funeral director Robert Bush was jailed for 20 years.
The 48-year-old left bodies to decompose at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors’ premises in the city, gave bereaved families the ashes of other people and stole money donated from collections at funerals.The “horror” and revulsion felt by the families who had lost loved ones was revealed at Hull Crown Court during a series of powerful and harrowing victim statements during the first four days of the five-day sentencing hearing.
Over the coming weeks, we will be publishing those statements – from families who had cruelly been taken advantage of when they were at their most vulnerable. Their stories need to be told, and we will ensure that they are, for as long as it takes.
Shirley Ann Wright is my mum and she was 86 years old when she died in September 2023. My husband and I were away in our caravan when we first heard the news about Legacy.
The phone call came from a withheld number, which I wouldn’t normally have answered, but my children weren’t with us and my immediate worry was for them. The news that it involved my beautiful mum just sent me into shock and disbelief. I burst into tears. So many thoughts ran around my head.
I then had the horrendous task of telling my sister, my daughter and my two sons. I was in such shock. How could this be happening? That shock turned to horror and the horror to upset and anger.
The thought of mum laying there all this time, almost six months. Horrific pictures came into my mind of what she would look like, and they wouldn’t go away. They still don’t.
I was told that a photograph of dogs was recovered with mum. This both shocked and upset me. Mum didn’t have any dogs, she didn’t even like them and we had not left any photographs with her. Not only had someone else’s property been placed with mum, which felt a violation in itself, but another family had given Bush this photograph to be with their loved one and they were left without it.
I feel so much guilt for choosing Robert Bush and Legacy. This was the last thing we could do for mum and he repaid us by doing this. He had seemed such a pleasant and empathetic man. His constant use of the phrase, “Bless you”. It had seemed endearing. He had offered teas and coffee after the funeral and included flowers in the price he was charging. We had no reason to question anything. We trusted him. I had never organised a funeral before. Why would I ever doubt what he was telling us?
Even when I collected what I believed to be mum’s ashes, I trusted him. I believed his excuses. There never should have been a 30-minute wait for him to bring them to me. What had he been doing? When I questioned why they were so heavy when mum was so small, he said it must be her bone density. Again, I didn’t question it. I accepted what he said. I trusted him. He stood there smiling, handing me the box, when she was still laying there, rotting away! It’s a purely evil thing to do. I know a body is only a vessel and the spirit is gone, but she is still my mum. They were the hands I held and the face I kissed. He betrayed her and he betrayed our trust. The guilt I feel will not go away even though we always had our best intentions to do the very best for mum.
Would he have done this to his own parents? Did he ever think he could get away with this? Just why? Was it really all just for money? We had left money with him, collected in mum’s memory, for Cancer Research. We feel so cheated that they never received it. Time is supposed to heal, but my only way of coping is not to think of mum. My happy memories are over-ridden with horror. I don’t feel like I can celebrate Mother’s Day or her birthday. I can’t even look at her picture without thoughts of her decomposing body coming into my mind. When she died, her photo took pride of place in the living room. Now it is hidden away in the hallway.
Having a second funeral for mum was so difficult. I do wonder if mum had actually been in the coffin while we all sat around it or if she was still on a shelf in a back room. Was this just an empty coffin that was wheeled out for every funeral? Thinking back there hadn’t even been a proper plaque.
I just couldn’t face another full service. Instead we sat with mum’s coffin and played music for her before we watched as her coffin was charged. I felt such distrust for the whole process that I needed to watch.
This time it was so different. We were given mum’s ashes the same day and had a Cremation Certificate, which we had never had before. I hadn’t even known we should have or could have received one.
I have heard some people say that we should feel some consolation that we had mum’s ashes back with us but I just can’t get away from the horror of her just being left. I know that Bush’s actions have left so many people asking questions they will never know the answer to which is absolutely heartbreaking.
I had loved the original ashes I had been given as if they were mum’s remains. I hope this helps their family in some way. You should be able to trust a funeral director. We did. Now I have questions of doubt about all funeral directors. I hope that there are regulations that come from all of this. I am absolutely devastated and feel so guilty over our choice of using Legacy. I entrusted my mum with Bush to treat her with dignity and respect. What we received fell so far short.
Jayne Rimmington