‘Hardest part is not knowing why’ – Son whose mother’s body was found at Legacy

A son whose mother’s body was left in Robert Bush’s funeral parlour for six months said the “hardest part is not knowing why he did it”.Ron Marsh contacted Legacy Independent Funeral Directors when his mother Joyce Moulton died in September 2023, aged 98.He said Bush was professional and the service he organised was “excellent”, but the family never received Mrs Moulton’s ashes – and attempts to contact Legacy went unanswered.In March 2024, he was visited at his Surrey home by police family liaison officers who told him his mother’s body had been found during a raid at Legacy’s premises in Hull.Read MoreMr Marsh, 79, told the Press Association: “I was gobsmacked. It was just not anything I ever thought happened, would happen, and certainly not happen to my mum.“I couldn’t comprehend something like that happening, so it was a struggle for me to understand what had happened, why it had happened, and why he had allowed it to happen.”He went on to say: “It was very traumatic, very upsetting. It’s probably not a strong enough word, but I can’t think of one.“But I just would like to know what the hell he thought he was doing, because the complete disregard for the dignity of 30 people, and their families, I can’t understand how someone could do it.“And, unfortunately, I don’t think we’re going to get the chance to ask him, because he’s pleaded guilty, so he doesn’t have to take the stand.“It will be interesting to see what the mitigating circumstances are that his defence puts up, but as far as I’m concerned, he is a very despicable man with absolutely no morals or human compassion.”Funeral director Robert Bush appearing at Hull Crown Court, where he has been jailed for 20 years (Elizabeth Cook/PA)PA WireMr Marsh said his mother was “a grafter” who worked while raising him and his brother as a single parent, before marrying her second husband.She returned to her home city of Hull to be near her siblings after being widowed in 1990.Mrs Moulton had dementia and died in hospital in September 2023, two weeks after falling at home.Mr Marsh contacted Bush after seeing business cards for Legacy at the morgue, and being told by a morgue attendant that “they’re very good”.“He was professional, courteous, a businessman,” he said.“We had the service. It was excellent. You could not have wished for a better service.“When we paid the bill, he said: ‘Your mother will be cremated within the next two to three days.’ I thought that’s it, done deal.”When the family had not received Mrs Moulton’s ashes by December, Mr Marsh attempted to contact Bush, but his phone calls and emails went unreturned.After finding out that Bush had never cremated Mrs Moulton’s body, her family have had a second funeral paid for by Hull City Council, and her ashes have been scattered in one of their memorial gardens.Mr Marsh contacted Bush after seeing business cards for Legacy at the morgue (PA)PA ArchiveMr Marsh said: “At the time, it looked like he was a genuine, bona fide, funeral director – three funeral homes, a successful person, and the service itself was very professional.“But it has left me wondering, how many times has this happened somewhere else, maybe not to the extent of 30 odd bodies, but have other funeral people not carried out their duties, as they should do?“Because there is no legislation with regard to funeral directors, and therefore, there’s no checking to see that once a funeral service has been had, if it’s not at the crematorium or at the church, that body has actually been either cremated or buried.“So it still gets to me and I think it will for the rest of my life.“But it’s the not knowing why he did it that is really more upsetting than anything else. And I don’t think we’ll ever know.”Mr Marsh paid tribute to his mother as “pugnacious, but generous to a fault”.He said: “When she went back up to Hull, and in the bungalow, there were a load of what she termed old people, albeit she was in her 80s, but there were old people around her who needed help, and she used to do the shopping for them.“She always wanted to help people, and she was quite fearless.”