Muriel Winning was an adored mum and mother-in-law
Muriel Winning(Image: Submitted/Humberside Police )
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.
My mum is Muriel Winning. Mum died at home on 22nd July 2023 after a courageous battle with cancer.
She was 61 years old. My wife Helen and I cared for her during her illness. Mum spent her life caring for others, now it was our turn to repay her. Mum loved her family and adored her husband, David. She was wonderful. Mum believed in life after death and wanted to be dressed in her wedding dress when she died in readiness for meeting with David again. Helen and I carried out her wishes and ensured she was dressed as she wanted.
Helen took so much care bathing her and dressing her. Mum had lost much of her hair through the effects of her chemotherapy treatment and Helen made sure she was wearing a beret hat as she hated to be seen without hair.
All this care was lost on Robert Bush. All the hard work and tireless care we willingly gave Mum was for nothing. She protected us her whole life from mistreatment, and it feels that the one time I could repay her and protect her, I couldn’t. Bush took this away from me.
I work close to the Legacy premises on Hessle Road and drive past it every day. Knowing now that Mum was laying inside for almost 8 months destroys me. I was physically so close to her.
Knowing she was still laying there when Bush smiled and handed me a box, he said were her ashes, when she was still only a matter of feet from me, I just can’t accept. It was Mum’s choice that we used Legacy.
We were determined that we would carry out her wishes. Legacy had looked after both Mum’s parents following their deaths in 2020 and 2022 and she had requested that they do the same for her. Mum was adamant there was to be no funeral service as she wanted the money to be spent on a gathering to include the children. She wanted to leave us with as much money as she could. We trusted Robert Bush and Legacy to fulfil Mum’s wishes. We trusted him with the person we loved most. We trusted him to treat her with the same care we had. We accepted everything he told us. He was the professional. He knew the processes that must be followed.
Bush took advantage of us when we were at our most vulnerable. He abused his position of trust. Why? There will never be a good enough answer. There will never be an answer that I can accept.
When we were told that the ashes we were caring for and took pride of place in our home could not be Mum, our world fell apart. We were still grieving her loss, and this news completely destroyed us.
I blame myself. I let her down. When we knew that Mum had been identified through her dental records, Helen was desperate to see her. She needed to talk to her. We needed to apologise. I know this is not my apology to give but it feels like it is. We are grateful for the short time we had sitting next to her coffin, though it just felt surreal.
Mum’s second funeral was incredibly difficult. It is something we should never have had to do. Although the bereavement officers were amazing, we were scared of trusting the process. Bush’s actions have given us such a huge mistrust of the whole cremation process. I still miss Mum. I talk to her in my head. She believed, so I hope she can hear me. I felt invincible with her around. Now, I have never felt so vulnerable. Helen still regularly sends text messages to her. In one she says: “I miss you so much I hope its you being close that puts these songs in my head and helps me hear your voice. I still can’t come to terms that you’re gone….I knew how much you loved us and I loved you unconditionally. I loved taking care of you…you were incredible, you are incredible and I love you my best friend.”
On top of dealing with Bush’s abuse of Mum, we have also had to deal with finding out that my grandmother, Pauline’s ashes were violated by Legacy. They were still at Legacy but only a small amount of her ashes were left. What had he done with them? I can only think that he has given them to someone else as we had had the ashes of another family’s loved one with us for so long. I can only hope that they were cared for and loved as we had loved those we had.
I just can’t see an end to the hurt that Bush has caused us. It’s inhumane and no sentence could ever be enough to repay the hurt he has caused and the trauma we continue to suffer.
Byron Lill