02/04/2026
In light of today’s news, our hearts are with the families in Hull who have endured something no family should ever face. Cases like this shake public trust, and rightly so—but they also highlight the importance of choosing a funeral director who is open, accountable, and committed to the highest professional standards.
At Fawcett & Hetherington, transparency isn’t a slogan—it’s how we work every single day.
We are proud members of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), and our membership means we undergo regular inspections, including checks on our premises, mortuary care, procedures, and record‑keeping. These inspections are rigorous, independent, and designed to protect the families we serve.
We believe that all good funeral directors should welcome families into their premises, explain how their loved one will be cared for, and talk openly about procedures, legislation, and the standards they follow. No family should ever feel unsure or unable to ask questions.
Our doors are always open.
Our standards are always visible.
And your trust will always be earned through honesty, dignity, and the care you see—not just the care you’re told about.
If anyone in our community ever wants to look around, ask questions, or understand more about how we work, you will always be met with openness and respect.
— Fawcett & Hetherington Funeral Service
Serving our community with integrity, compassion and complete transparency.
Following an incredibly heartbreaking and complex sixteen-month investigation into what began as concern for care of the deceased at a funeral directors in Hull, Robert Bush has today pleaded guilty to the remaining 31 offences that he was charged with, taking the total number of offences to 67.
Robert Bush, 48-years-old, formerly of Kirk Ella, East Yorkshire, previously appeared at Hull Crown Court on Wednesday, 15 October where he entered guilty pleas for 36 charges and not guilty pleas for the remaining 31 charges.
Appearing at Hull Crown Court today (Thursday, 2 April) Bush was read the list of the remaining 31 charges against him before pleading guilty to all of them, detailed below as read out in court:
▪️ 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial in relation to the recovery of the deceased from the premise on Hessle Road between April 2023 and March 2024
▪️ One count of theft from charities between 1 September, 2017 and 6 March, 2023
Bush had previously pleaded guilty to the below charges, as read out in court:
▪️ 30 counts of fraud by false representation in relation to the deceased recovered at the Hessle Road premise who should have been cremated, and their families advised they had been and provided with ashes between April 2023 and March 2024
▪️ Four counts of fraud by false representation in relation to ashes provided to families following loss in pregnancy, with one of the unborn being recovered from the premises. These families were provided with ashes between August 2017 and March 2024
▪️One count of fraud by false representation in relation to either families provided with ashes of their loved ones, with ashes identified as their loved one later found at the premise, or families not receiving any ashes at all between August 2017 and March 2024
▪️One count of fraudulent trading in relation to funeral plans between 23 May, 2012 and 6 March, 2024
Read more: https://www.humberside.police.uk/news/humberside/news/news/2026/april/guilty-plea-in-legacy-independent-funeral-directors-investigation/
