英国Hull殡仪馆经营者Robert Bush因67项罪行被判入狱20年[1]。Bush在12年间对数百个丧亲家庭进行诈骗，犯罪行为包括将遗体遗弃在停尸房腐烂、向家属发放错误骨灰、盗取慈善资金以及销售虚假葬礼计划[1]。
2024年3月对其设施的搜查中，执法部门发现35具遗体和100多份骨灰[1]。其中一起案件涉及一名在2022年5月流产的婴儿Sunny Beverley-Conlin，该遗体被遗弃近2年[1]。另有94岁的Norman Bridger的遗体在其死亡后323天才被发现[1]。Bush通过虚假葬礼计划共诈骗£562,117[1]，其中部分资金被用于个人消费，包括2017至2024年间花费超过£42,000用于度假、£21,000参加摩托车比赛和£17,400进行家装[1]。
Bush于2024年3月10日在伦敦希思罗机场被逮捕，当时他正从亚利桑那州度假返回[1]。英国卫生秘书Yvette Cooper表示政府计划对殡仪业进行正式监管[1]。
Robert Bush, a funeral director in Hull, England, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted on 67 charges spanning a 12-year period of systematic abuse against bereaved families [1]. Bush's operations at his Hessle Road premises resulted in the abandonment and decomposition of dozens of remains, the distribution of incorrect ashes to grieving relatives, and the theft of substantial sums through fraudulent funeral schemes [1].
When authorities searched Bush's facility in March 2024, they discovered 35 bodies and over 100 sets of ashes [1]. Among the cases was an 18-week fetus, identified as Sunny Beverley-Conlin, which had been abandoned for nearly two years after a miscarriage in May 2022 [1]. In another instance, the remains of 94-year-old Norman Bridger were not discovered until 323 days after his death [1]. Bush's fraudulent practices defrauded numerous families of £562,117 through false funeral plans [1]. Between 2017 and 2024, he diverted funds for personal use, spending over £42,000 on vacations, £21,000 on motorcycle racing, and £17,400 on home improvements [1].
Bush was arrested on March 10, 2024, at London Heathrow Airport upon his return from a vacation in Arizona [1]. Following the case, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to introduce formal regulation of the funeral industry [1].