I trusted 'wicked' funeral director Robert Bush with my parents' remains… I will always fear the ashes on my mantelpiece may be 'somebody else's mum and dad'

Published: 15:46, 27 July 2026 | Updated: 15:50, 27 July 2026 On an exclusive episode of the Daily Mail's The Trial podcast, veteran crime journalist Caroline Cheetham interviews Karen Dry, a potential victim of 'wicked' funeral director Robert Bush. Bush, 48, is at Hull Crown Court today awaiting sentencing on 67 charges, including fraud, theft and preventing the lawful burial of the dead, relating to his business, Legacy Independent Funeral Directors. Following a tip-off raising concerns for the care of the deceased, Humberside Police raided Bush's funeral directors on March 8, 2024, uncovering what Ms Dry described as 'the worst horror film you could ever imagine'. Police found 35 corpses in various states of decomposition, including the body of a stillborn baby. Personal effects belonging to the deceased, among them rings, letters and sports memorabilia, were found strewn across the floor. Robert Bush, 48, is at Hull Crown Court today awaiting sentencing on 67 charges, including fraud, theft and preventing the lawful burial of the dead  Following a tip-off, Humberside Police raided Bush's funeral directors on March 8, 2024, uncovering what Dry described as 'the worst horror film you could ever imagine'  Investigators also uncovered roughly half a ton of ashes, later linked to more than 160 families. It later emerged that only four of the 35 bodies should still have been on the premises at all; the other 31 belonged to people whose families had already been told their loved one had been cremated. Although the fraud relating to ashes stretches back only to 2017, Bush had been a funeral director for well over 15 years. For people like Ms Dry, who entrusted Legacy Independent Funeral Directors with her mum and dad, there may never be certainty their remains were properly cared for. 'We have gone through every emotion you can imagine,' Dry said. 'Absolute despair to raging anger. I feel like I have been cheated, like he's mugged me off. 'I am no pushover. Why didn't I spot it? Why didn't I see it? Why was I blind to it? 'And then for the wider community - while I am arguing over ashes - these people are having second funerals… they're literally going through a full funeral with their loved one in a coffin. They're having to go through a full service again, with the flowers and the emotions. 'I can't put it into words, I haven't got the words.' Ms Dry is currently a prominent figure among a group of victims pushing the government for proper regulation of the funeral industry. Shockingly, there is no statutory regulation of the funeral industry in England, Wales or Northern Ireland – anyone can open a funeral parlour, and membership of industry bodies is entirely voluntary. The two bodies are the National Association of Funeral Directors and the Society of Allied Independent Funeral Directors. Ms Dry argues the government needs to do more to stop fraudsters like Bush hurting families. 'There's absolutely no legislation currently,' she explained. Subscribe to The Crime Desk to unlock The Trial+ podcast 'All we have got is a code of conduct… Bush was a member of the NAFD. For a few years, he paid his membership fees and the NAFD were supposed to go and inspect his premises. It can take up to three years to go and inspect a premises. 'So, this could have been going on for three years before it was spotted. However, Bush allowed his membership to lapse. 'Now to me, if the NAFD are worth any part of their membership fee, they should have visited him after the lapse. 'The membership lapsed and nobody bothered checking… an inspection every three years is nowhere near good enough anyway. For me, the code of conduct ain't worth much, is it? 'We're in a situation where wrongdoing can start tomorrow and in three years' time, you might get found out. By which time, you could have wound the business up and left it as a dump.' Despite the uncertainty, Ms Dry treats the ashes as her parents regardless. Due to the high temperatures at which cremation occurs, DNA testing on ashes is not possible. She said: 'I love them, respect them, chat to them and talk to them as if they are my mum and dad. If they're somebody else's mum and dad, rest assured they're being looked after.' For a full deep dive into the case ahead of Bush's sentencing, subscribe to The Crime Desk today. Subscribers gain access to Trial+, ad-free listening and a host of other benefits.