Eleanor Maslin
BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

We are closing our live coverage on the sentencing of Robert Bush, here's a recap of what we heard today.

• Judge Mr Justice Hilliard passes a sentence of 20 years on Robert Bush
• The judge acknowledges that policies "do not appear to have been followed" in this case and tells families they are not to blame for what happened
• Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council call for more regulation within the funeral sector
• The Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities says it "fully supports" introduction of more regulation, and the government says it will "crack down on rogue funeral operators"
• Families affected by the case take to court steps, calling for a public inquiry and some express feelings of being "really let down" by the sentence
• Prime Minister Andy Burnham supports the call for more regulation of funeral homes and mortuaries

You can read more in our full online article.

Warning: this post contains distressing details.

A police officer who was involved in the initial raid on the Legacy funeral home has described how the smell of death hung over the premises.

"That's kind of what hit me, and I remember exchanging a look with a crime scene manager as we were going in, because we knew at that point that what we were going into probably wasn't anything like we'd experienced before," says Det Sup Alan Curtis of Humberside Police.

What they discovered inside, he tells the BBC, was "shocking", including "clear evidence of human ash" strewn about.

"Never in all the time I've been in the police and been a senior investigating officer have I come across a scene as distressing as that."

Sarah-May Buccieri
Reporting from Hull Crown Court

I've been in courtroom four for the majority of this week.

I've seen people relive the most harrowing experiences of their lives.

Strangers have become friends, united by the horror they faced because of what Bush did at Legacy.

We've heard about Bush's character, a seemingly "lovely" man who deceived mourners at their most vulnerable time.

Today families brought pictures of their loved ones to court and held them up outside after the sentencing.

They want those to be the faces people remember, the victims of Bush's criminality.

Sarah-May Buccieri
Reporting from Hull Crown Court

Image source, PA Media

Although the hearing is over, the emotions felt by many people connected to Bush's crimes are very much still present.

It's been a tumultuous week, from Monday, where Bush came into court and on his way briefly apologised to the families.

To today, where Bush had to stand before the judge to learn his fate.

Many people in court have held their breath this week, but today some may have released a small sigh of relief.

But there's a strong sense the conversation around Legacy is not over, with the judge mentioning policies once again today.

For the families outside court demanding changes to the funeral industry this may be just the start.

Image source, Handout

Bush was charged after a major investigation by Humberside Police into human remains found at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors premises in Hull, including four babies lost in pregnancy.

Officers attended the building on Hessle Road in March 2024"following a report received of concern for care of the deceased".

Thirty-five bodies and half a tonne of human ashes were discovered.

Thirty-one of the remains discovered by police were those of loved ones whose families had already held funerals.

Those families had been told by Bush their relatives had been cremated.

More than 100 families had been presented with the ashes of strangers.

Image source, PA Media

Victims and their families have been waiting for justice since the investigation began more than two years ago.

Humberside Police described its inquiry as "complex, protracted and highly sensitive", triggered by a report of "concern for care of the deceased" in March 2024.

More than 120 officers and police staff, some from other areas of the country, worked on the case.

In total, there were 254 victims of Bush's crimes, with all the charges dating from a period between May 2012 and 6 March 2024, the force added.

Bush was arrested on an aircraft at Heathrow Airport after he arrived in the UK from a holiday in the United States.

Here at the BBC, we understand that it can be difficult to read about stories like this.

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by bereavement, child bereavement or end of life care, there are a number of organisations that may be able to help.

Visit the BBC Action line here for more resources.

Image source, Reuters

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is supporting the regulation of funeral homes and mortuaries as he offers sympathies to victims.

“I do back those calls," he says during a visit to Sheffield, "because we have seen appalling situations like this before."

Burnham says he was "truly horrified" when he heard about the case, and it needs a proper response "to make sure no family goes through that again".

“People, I think, would assume that the highest standards apply to this area and we’ve got to make sure that they do apply and that there can’t be any repeat of what we’ve seen.”

Eleanor Maslin
BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

The Department for Health and Social Care says it will "drive forward" work alongside the Ministry of Justice and Law Commission to "crack down on rogue operators in the funeral sector".

The government says this will include "developing a range of detailed proposals to drive up standards, including regulation of the funeral sector".

The Law Commission will also undertake a review of the criminal law in relation to the deceased, considering any gaps in existing legal protections.

"The deceased cannot speak for themselves, which is why clear safeguards, stronger oversight and consistent standards are needed to protect their dignity and give families the reassurance they deserve," the statement continues.

Image source, PA Media

More now from Karen Dry, who has organised monthly vigils for the victims' families since the investigation began.

"No sentence was ever going to be enough," she says outside court.

Dry says families were hoping Bush would be sentenced to more than 30 years; instead, he's been sentenced to 20 years, and could be out in 10.

"It's the only serving half that absolutely plays with people's heads."

She adds that without regulation, "in five or 10 years' time there will be another funeral director with another 300 families in a courtroom somewhere".

"We've got to put a stop to it and it's got to stop now."

Speaking outside court, Nigel Hotham says he's satisfied with the sentence given to Robert Bush.

"Am I happy with that? I would say yes... I think 20 years is a decent sentence."

His uncle, Mark Hotham, died in September 2023 aged 87, and his body was one of those discovered at the Legacy premises.

Nigel Hotham says it's been a "very traumatic journey, but we are at the end of it now hopefully".

Eleanor Maslin
BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Karen Dry who has spoken on the court steps, said she trusted Bush with her parents' funerals in 2016 and 2018, and has organised monthly vigils for the victims' families since the investigation began.

She said: "Finally Mr Bush has been sent to prison. No matter how many years it will never be long enough for us.

"Many thanks to the police and the court for their considerable time, effort and care they have dedicated to this most challenging case."

She adds: "We remind our local MPs that a public inquiry should now be established.

"He had accumulated with Hull City Council a debt of over £50,000. Why, how?"

Dry adds: "Mr Bush did not make a mistake, his acts were deliberate.

"His own barrister said the breach of trust is obvious, gross and tainted the memory of every person."

She adds that the funeral industry is "currently in desperate need of strict regulation".

"We all deserve dignity in death and this was totally denied to our loved ones."

MP Emma Hardy, who represents many of Bush’s victims, has just released a statement.

Writing on social media, she described the funeral director’s crimes as “appalling”.

Paying tribute to the affected families, she said: “The strength and dignity you have shown, not only this week when you faced Bush in court, but throughout the past two and a half years has been incredible.

“No sentence was ever going to fully reflect the pain and suffering that has been caused or provide complete justice for the families involved. However, this sentence of 20 years goes some way towards recognising the seriousness of these crimes and the profound impact they have had on so many people.”

She also thanked Humberside Police and said she would provide “further comment” on industry regulation later today.

Warning: this post contains distressing details.

Jasmine Beverley tells the BBC she finds it "hard to trust people" after the "evil" she suffered through the actions of Robert Bush.

The body of her stillborn baby Sunny Beverley-Conlin was discovered in a brown paper bag on the floor of the Hessle Road parlour in March 2024, having been there for almost two years.

"He's picked on the poor people, the people that haven't been able to afford the £4000 funerals," says Beverley, describing Bush's crimes.

"That's what he's done, so he can go on holidays and buy nice things, while we're struggling to pay his funeral costs."

She says "the evil that he committed against so many people" will stay with her for life.

Richard Madden
BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) has told the BBC that it had “no knowledge” Bush was operating the Legacy funeral home on Hessle Road.

Bush was a member of the trade body between 2011 and 2020 before his membership lapsed.

Andrew Judd, the chief executive of NAFD, said: “We did not inspect Legacy, we had no knowledge he was operating at that premises because he moved the business without telling us.

“We haven’t ever had eyes inside the horrific scene that the victims have experienced.”

Judd said his organisation had inspected a former premises operated by Bush in 2018, when some his alleged offending took place, but said he “met the requirements we needed”.

He added: “Had we inspected Robert Bush and found anything that needed to be addressed or anything that was in contravention of our code of conduct, it would have been addressed at the time.”

Eleanor Maslin
BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

In addition to a 20-year prison sentence, Robert Bush was banned from being a company director for 14 years.

In court, Judge Mr Justice Hilliard said: "The defendant behaved dishonestly almost from the outset and for many years.

“He kept almost no records and abused his role as a director. I disqualify him from acting as a director for a period of 14 years.”

Eleanor Maslin
BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Passing a sentence of 20 years in prison, judge Mr Justice Hilliard explained Bush will "presently serve one half before being on parole licence," meaning he will serve 10 years in prison.

Previously, he explained that whilst he, as the judge, passes the sentence, it is down to parliament to decide what proportion of this sentence a defendant must serve behind bars.

He explained that if Bush committed another offence or "does not comply with conditions" during the time he is on parole licence, he would be "returned to custody".

Joanne Moody, speaking on behalf of her father Peter Moody, says she feels "really really let down".

She notes that Bush could be out of prison in 10 years: "How is that in any way shape or form right?"

Joanne Moody speaks about how he took "the last bit of dignity we had of our parents and loved ones" and "destroyed it".

The body of Peter Moody, 65, was found by police alongside 34 others and more than 100 sets of ashes at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull in March 2024.

Eleanor Maslin
BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

In a statement released after the sentencing Mike Birkinshaw, chief executive of the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA), described the Legacy case as "an exceptional failure, not a reflection of the funeral profession as a whole".

He says every day the funeral industry across the UK "serve their communities with compassion, professionalism and unwavering respect for the deceased and the bereaved".

Despite this, he says public confidence "must never be taken for granted".

"The FBCA fully supports the introduction of proportionate statutory regulation for funeral directors," Birkinshaw adds.

"It is important that future policy is developed on the basis of fact rather than perception," he says.

Birkinshaw adds that whilst "the burial and cremation sector is not unregulated," the FBCA believe that future regulation of funeral directing should "complement the existing legislative framework".

Sarah-May Buccieri
Reporting from Hull Crown Court

Outside Hull Crown Court there is a crowd of reporters, camera crews and families hearing statements being read by Humberside Police and other agencies on the court steps.

Some people carry pictures of their loved ones.

Image source, Phillip Norton/BBC