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Legacy - the stories that must be told: 'It's like he had a mask on'

Brian Johnson's family said Hull funeral director Robert Bush 'seemed so kind and empathetic'

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Brian Johnson

On Friday, July 31 2026, Hull funeral director Robert Bush was jailed for 20 years.

The 48-year-old left bodies to decompose at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors' premises in the city, gave bereaved families the ashes of other people and stole money donated from collections at funerals.The "horror" and revulsion felt by the families who had lost loved ones was revealed at Hull Crown Court during a series of powerful and harrowing victim statements during the first four days of the five-day sentencing hearing.

Over the coming weeks, we will be publishing those statements - from families who had cruelly been taken advantage of when they were at their most vulnerable. Their stories need to be told, and we will ensure that they are, for as long as it takes.

I am the daughter of Brian Johnson. I remember when I first got the call from a police officer saying that she needed to meet with me and that it needed to be soon. I called my daughter Jessica straight away and we had been asked to meet the officer at my Mums the following day. It was such a surreal feeling.

We had already heard on the news or somewhere that something had happened at Legacy Funeral Directors and we also knew my Dad had gone there when he died. We wondered if it was to do with that, but at the same time wondered how that could be.

The following day we were given the news of what had happened and I just couldnt believe what I was hearing. We had never heard anything so inhumane. We just couldnt believe it was happening and what we were hearing. My trust in people has been impacted. We feel like weve been conned in a way. This is because of the bare-faced lies we were told by Robert Bush. We trusted in him to do as we requested and he came across like he couldnt do enough for us. He kept saying bless you to us and seemed so kind and empathetic. I recall thinking what a nice man he was and that he was in the right job. How wrong that turned out to be.

You hold a responsibility and we chose Legacy for Dads funeral. I know we couldnt have seen what was to come but you almost feel kind of responsible for what happened when really it should be him. He is the one who is responsible. What gives him the right to do that to someone? How would he have felt if that was his loved one? How does he sleep at night? How could he leave my Dad like that in the state he would have been in in the Legacy premises? We were given ashes that we were told were Dads and we had no reason to think otherwise. We believed that they were him. Why wouldnt you?

Then three months later we had the police coming round to tell us that this wasnt the case and they were unable to tell us who the ashes we had did actually belong to. We had loved and nurtured those ashes since the day we received them believing that they were my Dad. My first reaction was that I didnt want them anymore. It wasnt out of any disrespect for the person they did belong to or their family, but I just needed them out of my house and for them to go as they werent my Dad.

As a family our hearts go out to all the families who have received ashes of who they thought were their loved ones. We are so incredibly lucky to have got our Dad, Grandad, Great-Grandad and Husband back, but some families will never have that. How could he do that to people?

As a family we want to know what things are going to be put in place going forwards in terms of rules and regulations for Funeral Directors and the conditions for how the bodies of deceased loved ones have to be kept and looked after.

This is somebodys husband and father we are talking about. Someone whose wife and daughter both worked at the same premises. How do you know who anyone is anymore?

Its like he had a mask on. He has family of his own. How can he do that to someone elses family?

We had a charity box for Cancer Research that went missing from the Legacy premises. To me this is just stealing at its absolute worst. We were trying to do good for the charity wherever the money ended up, it was for a good cause to try and help find a cure for cancer.

We were never asked if we wanted to take the box so we could send the cheque off or anything. Its the deceit that goes with it all. It really does affect your trust in people. It makes you feel disheartened with people who you are supposed to be able to trust. I like to see the good in people but when you get people like that how do you continue to do that?

Were just talking about how this has affected us, but he has done the same to so many other people and affected them too. So much unnecessary pain and trauma caused in order to fulfil whatever it was he had to fulfil for himself. What did he actually get out of it? I feel we will never really get that answer.

I want justice to be done for all the horrendous actions and hurt he has caused so many families. We put our trust in that funeral director to do what he was paid to do and that didnt happen. Whilst we are lucky to have Dad back and be confident that we now have him back, that should never have happened. My Dad was laid in Legacy for three months. It should never have happened and I want justice served on Robert Bush.

Yvonne Johnson

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