Summary: Lucy Ness, 28, says police told her the ashes she received after a miscarriage may have been "animal remains" after officials could not confirm their origin. Funeral director Robert Bush is being sentenced at Hull Crown Court over 67 offences, including denying 30 families proper burials and fraud. Police records suggest Bush collected the baby's ashes two days after handing an urn to Ness and her partner, and the case has prompted calls for tighter funeral industry regulation.
Mother Told Ashes May Be 'Animal Remains' as Funeral Director Faces Sentencing
Lucy Ness says police told her an urn given to her by funeral director Robert Bush contained animal's remains [BBC]
A woman who miscarried has told the BBC that Humberside Police informed her the ashes returned to her by funeral director Robert Bush may not have been human. The police said they were unable to verify the origin of the ashes.
What Happened
Lucy Ness, 28, miscarried just before a scheduled 12-week scan on 20 April 2021. She and her partner, Callum Ellerby, were told their baby had been cremated and were given an urn the following month. Ness kept the white china urn, embossed with a teddy bear, on a shelf next to her baby scan image for three years.
"Police visited to tell me that the ashes that he had given me were animal remains," Ness told the BBC. "How can somebody with a duty of care do this to my family?"
Investigation And Court
Humberside Police began investigating Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in March 2024 and set up a helpline for concerned families. Officers told Ness they had checked crematorium records and found Robert Bush collected the baby's ashes from the crematorium on 13 May 2021 — two days after he had handed Ness and Ellerby the urn.
Funeral director Robert Bush is being sentenced this week at Hull Crown Court [Humberside Police]
Robert Bush, 48, is being sentenced at Hull Crown Court after admitting offences relating to funeral malpractice. The charges include denying 30 families a decent and proper burial and fraud for presenting relatives with ashes that were not those of their loved ones. In court, prosecutor Chris Paxton KC said "the ashes that Lucy was given could not have been those of her baby," though he did not state they were animal remains.
Impact And Calls For Reform
Ness has described significant emotional distress and damage to her mental health from the episode. She was not separately charged as a victim of denial of burial because of the age of the fetus, but she says every baby deserves recognition. The case has added momentum to calls for tighter regulation of the funeral industry, with families and campaigners urging clearer oversight and standards for those entrusted with remains.
Current Status: Robert Bush is currently being sentenced at Hull Crown Court following the investigation by Humberside Police.
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