A British funeral director is facing prison after a scandal in which bodies were left uncremated and families were given ashes that did not belong to their loved ones. Robert Bush’s funeral parlour was described as a “horror scene” by a former employee, prosecutor Chris Paxton told a court on Monday at the start of a five-day sentencing hearing.
Police searched Bush’s premises following a tip-off and discovered 31 bodies in a cold storage area that should have been cremated months earlier. The bodies were left “stored on racks,” according to the prosecutor, who said the breach of trust was on an “industrial scale.” Relatives had received other people’s ashes, compounding their grief.
The case has led to calls for better regulation of the funeral industry in the UK to prevent similar abuses. The hearing continues this week, with Bush expected to be sentenced for offenses including fraud and preventing the lawful burial of the dead. The court heard that the conditions inside the funeral home were appalling, and the emotional toll on families has been severe. The judge will consider evidence over the coming days before delivering a sentence.