Footage of police interviews with Robert Bush has been released
Over the two days following Legacy funeral director Robert Bush’s second arrest, he was interviewed by Humberside Police and questioned about charitable donations never reaching their intended recipients and spending clients’ money on things for himself. Over the 2024 dates of July 3 – the day he was arrested for a second time, at his home – and July 4, Bush was quizzed about a number of matters concerning the running of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
He is this week facing sentencing at Hull Crown Court on 67 charges that he admitted earlier this year. The hearing began on Monday and is expected to conclude on Friday.
Humberside Police footage of the interviews immediately after his July arrest – he was picked up for the first time four months earlier on an American Airlines flight as it landed at London’s Heathrow, in March 2024 – has now been released. In the first of a series of videos, Bush is seen asking for a statement – handwritten by his solicitor, he says – to be read out by his representative in the interview room.
The statement begins: “I have never actually prevented the lawful and decent burial of any deceased person, whether intentionally or recklessly.” It also says Bush had made arrangements to” ensure the persons who had written funeral plans would be able to have their funeral needs met”.
“I was not responsible for administering cash donations made by mourners to the charity of their choice,” the statement continues. “Normally, these donation collections were returned to the families, for the families to make the donations.”
His responses across the rest of the recordings is generally of the “no comment” variety, although he does acknowledge in one that he knows Dove House is a local cancer charity and that it will be close to some people’s hearts. In that particular part of the interview, about how collections are conducted at funerals, Bush is questioned about charitable donations made and not passed on.
Bush is told by an officer that the first four complaints received were in relation to Dove House. In one case, a £300 collection made at a funeral in 2003 was destined for Dove House and after the service, the collection box was taken by the Legacy funeral directors.
The officer asks whether this was Bush or someone else, what trail showing the receipt of, and what happened to the money, there might be and did he take it for himself or someone else? “When these donations were given, did you already know you weren’t going to give them to the charity?” the officer asks. Dove House had given a statement to say the donation had never been received.
Bush is also asked, following the regulating of the funeral market by the FPA, whether an email that was sent to all funeral directors who had not already entered into an appointed representative position, had been received by him. The officer says: “In that email they informed you that you were no longer able to sell pre-paid plans to new customers or to introduce other customers to them. Were you aware of this?
“Did you continue to sell plans after that date?” His response to all is “no comment”.
Bush continues in the videos to make no comment to allegations concerning monies paid into his business account by clients. One example is given of a woman making a deposit of £1,000 for a pre-paid plan in June 2016, and in paying the remainder over the next three years, actually overpaying by £250.
Bush is asked about his knowledge of the plan, any documents he prepared and what happened to the money. His bank account showed the payments coming in, the police officer says, and adds: “Following her first payment, you have gone to Tesco and spent £136. Is that to do with funeral costs or…?”
The officer continues: “Following receipt of her final payment of £580, you have made payments, a lot of payments, to the DVLA for vehicles. When this payment of £580 came in, were you waiting for that in order to pay the DVLA those bills?”
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