In the UK, the owner of a funeral home faces a prison sentence after police discovered dozens of bodies that should have been cremated months ago, and according to the investigation, relatives were given the ashes of strangers. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Euronews.

The investigation began after an anonymous tip. During a search of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, police found 31 bodies in a cold storage room. Among them were the remains of a stillborn baby, which investigators say were stored for nearly two years instead of being cremated. Police also found more than 100 urns of ashes.

"The bodies were stored on shelves on both sides of the room. The vast majority were uncovered and in various stages of decomposition," a prosecution representative told Hull Crown Court.

According to the investigation, owner Robert Bush left bodies in storage instead of performing paid funeral services and used client money for personal purposes.

During his first interrogation, Bush claimed he faced financial difficulties due to debts and non-payment by clients. However, prosecutors disagreed. According to the prosecution, from March 2017 to April 2024, the company received over £3 million, while the cost of a single cremation was about £500.

"Mr. Bush chose not to deal with the bodies entrusted to him, but to act at his own discretion and spend money on himself and others," said prosecutor Richard Paxton.

The investigation also alleges that in several cases, relatives were given strangers' ashes, passed off as the remains of their loved ones. Four fraud cases involve women who received someone else's ashes instead of their unborn children's remains.

Robert Bush has pleaded guilty to dozens of charges, including fraud, theft, and preventing a lawful and decent burial.

The scandal has again drawn attention to the regulation of the funeral industry in England and Wales. Unlike Scotland, where a mandatory code of practice for funeral directors has been in effect since 2025, in England and Wales, a funeral home can be opened without a special license.

More than 100 victims are expected to make statements in court during sentencing.