Families' fury at apology letter from whining funeral boss who left bodies unburied and gave them the ashes of strangers

By GLEN KEOGH, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 17:43, 6 August 2026 | Updated: 17:43, 6 August 2026 Disgraced funeral director Robert Bush has written an apology to the hundreds of victims of his callous offending acknowledging he ‘should have acted differently and much sooner.’ The undertaker, who was jailed for 20 years last week for storing at least 30 bodies at his funeral parlour in Hull and giving grieving relatives the ashes of strangers, said he ‘genuinely regrets the consequences of [his] actions.’ Bush eventually admitted 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, and theft from 12 charities, as well as providing bogus funeral plans to more than 200 people. However his apology has been rejected by many victims, who have said they will ‘never’ be able to forgive him for his actions. In his letter, provided to victims on Wednesday, Bush said: ‘I know that many of you entrusted me and my business with the care of someone you loved during one of the most difficult times in your lives. ‘I recognise that what happened has caused distress, upset and uncertainty for many families. I am deeply sorry. ‘There are no words that can undo what has happened or take away the pain that many of you have experienced. ‘I understand that this has affected not only your confidence in me, but also memories surrounding the loss of those closest to you. ‘I accept responsibility for my failures. Looking back, I know that I should have acted differently and much sooner. I regret that I did not do so.’ Bush at the time of his second arrest in July 2024. He later pleaded guilty to 67 offences related to failing to properly dispose of bodies and stealing from mourners  Jasmine Beverley discovered that the remains of her stillborn son, Sunny, were stored at Robert Bush's funeral parlour in Hull for two years Bush’s five-day sentencing hearing at Hull Crown Court last week heard that, around the decomposing bodies at his Legacy Independent Funeral Directors business in Hull, the floors contained human excrement and bodily fluid and coffins had grown mouldy. In his letter, he added: ‘I simply wanted you to know that I genuinely regret the consequences of my actions, and the impact they have had on so many people. ‘I appreciate that every family's experience has been different, and I respect that some people may never wish to accept my apology. That is entirely understandable.’ However some victims responded angrily to his attempt at an apology. Jasmine Beverley, whose son's remains were discovered in an envelope at the funeral parlour nearly two years after he was stillborn, said: ‘Reading the letter has left me feeling nothing but anger.’ ‘It reads as though he is apologising for our reaction and not his actions,’ she told the BBC. ‘I don't have the luxury of separating my memories of Sunny from what happened because the memories I do have are tied directly to the mismanagement of the final act of love I tried to give him - his funeral. ‘This will haunt me for the rest of my life.’ Karen Dry, whose parents were both sent to Bush for cremation, meaning she will never know whether she has the correct ashes, added: ‘It feels like he feels sorry for himself. ‘He says he does not expect forgiveness. We are a world away from any kind of forgiveness.’