‘It makes me feel sick’: Man whose grandmother’s body was kept at bogus funeral home

The grandson of a woman whose body was found uncremated at a fake funeral home in Hull has revealed the deep sadness caused by his actions, saying the director “destroyed every memory I had of him”.

Robert Bush, who runs Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, admitted preventing legal burial 30 times after 30 bodies, including that of 87-year-old Jessie Stockdale, were found on the premises. Families were given false information that their loved ones were cremated.

Ms Stockdale’s grandson, Tristan Essex, 26, expressed relief that Bush would no longer be “roaming the streets” but lamented the irreparable damage done to dozens of grieving families. He described using Bush’s services following his grandmother’s death in December 2023.

Mr. Essex described Bush as someone who “seemed like he really cared,” leading the family to return to the funeral home repeatedly to arrange ashes that never existed. He added: “We went back there a few times afterwards to move the ashes and the whole time my grandmother was there rotting in the back.”

When police began investigating the business in March 2024, the family called a hotline set up for people who believed their loved ones might have been among the dead in the area.

Ms Stockdale’s body was still wearing the bracelet she was fitted with at the time of the autopsy, but was eventually identified using DNA samples.

Tristan told the Press Association: “We were feeling every emotion possible, we hadn’t even really started to grieve.

“This really makes me feel sick.”

He said his grandmother was “the funniest person you’ve ever met” who “got along with everyone.”

“She was truly my best friend, she was like a mother to me, she raised me as a child.”

Mr Essex said: “(Bush) ruined every memory I had with my grandmother… He took away our goodbyes, we never had a chance to say goodbye.”

He said the family would hold a second funeral at Hull Minster after receiving the necessary ashes, but added: “I don’t think we will ever be able to say goodbye again, it can never be normal from now on.

“We can’t avoid knowing what he’s doing or not knowing what he’s doing.

“The second funeral went as planned and was really beautiful, we were just devastated by the trauma of the first funeral.”

He said Ms. Stockdale’s ashes were now on the coffee table, surrounded by photographs and her purse.

“She wanted the ashes to be scattered at the church with her husband, but I don’t think I can let go because of what’s going on right now.”

Mr Essex is one of several affected families calling for regulation of the funeral industry.

He said: “The government should have dealt with this a long time ago, there is no excuse for not doing so.

“There are more and more funeral directors doing the wrong things and we are still waiting.

“They keep saying it’s a hard thing to implement, but is it really? They seem to do it with everything else.

“The lack of any regulation is absolutely ridiculous.

“They control everything we do, why don’t they do right by us when we die?”

Mr Essex said honoring loved ones’ wishes for their funerals was “important for your mental health, knowing you’re doing what they want, because it’s the last thing you can do for them”.

“It must have been traumatic for anyone who didn’t have his ashes,” he said.

“Having my grandmother’s ashes has been comforting to me, even though some people may not understand it, it’s comforting to know she’s there.”

As Bush was jailed after pleading guilty, Mr Essex said: “It’s good to know he’s not walking the streets and causing further damage, but the damage has already been done.

“There is nothing that would change that aspect of the matter.”