A funeral director has admitted more than 30 fraud offences but has denied 30 counts of prevention of a lawful burial.
Robert Bush, 47, appeared at Hull Crown Court court to face the charges after human remains were found at one of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors’ sites in Hull.
Bush pleaded guilty to 35 counts of fraud by false representation and one charge of fraudulent trading in relation to funeral plans during the hearing on Wednesday.
Most of the fraud by false representation charges relate to the proper care of remains and the return of ashes.
He pleaded not guilty to 30 counts of preventing the lawful and decent burial of a body and one charge of theft from charities.
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Humberside Police launched an investigation into the funeral home after a report of ‘concern for care of the deceased’ in March last year.
A month after the investigation started, the force said it had received more than 2,000 calls on a dedicated phone line from families concerned about their loved ones’ ashes.
Bush, who is on bail, was charged in April, after what officers said was a ‘complex, protracted and highly sensitive 10-month investigation’ into the firm’s three sites in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Bush is due to go on trial for those alleged offences at Sheffield Crown Court in October next year.