UK - Two arrested, 34 bodies removed during investigation into funeral directors, Hull, 10 March 2024

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Hello. I believe it's possible the news ran the Heavenly Services article after seeing this thread as, until I posted, no MSM had covered it (although the premises link was well known locally). I think they ran the article approx two hours after my post. The reply from the police, covered extensively in the news, following The Sun's "reveal" article was "whilst we are in the EARLY stages of our enquires, at this STAGE we do not believe the two investigations to be connected."

The media WRONGLY interpreted the police statement as saying a connection had been ruled out at that time. It hadn't. Would the police have been in the position to do that then - a few days after encountering the scene? The words "early stages of enquiries" and "at this stage" are big clues. The police were evidently concentrating on what they found in the premises that week (e.g. horrific care of the deceased concerns), but it is not insignificant that Heavenly Services ran from the same premises and had a fraud investigation against them - before the owner "died". Remember, there are potentially at least two lines of inquiry with Legacy 1. care of the deceased 2. fraud (customer reports of funeral plan monies missing and receiving no or wrong ashes - all reported on by MSM). This is a huge investigation with over 100 officers and a link between the two companies could very well be established yet. It is up to the police to determine that but would be very surprised if it isn't been investigated. As this is "websleuths" I personally think a potential link is very worthy of sleuthing - carefully, without prejudicing anything or focusing on living people. The Heavenly Services episode affected the same community. As Mr Woolston is, apparently, dead (on paper anyway), and it happened whilst been suspected for fraud, it certainly seems fair to discuss him and what occurred on that site in question prior to Legacy taking over. I don't think it unreasonable to want to see his death certificate and be SURE he died and proper checks (e.g. inquest) took place. Procedures were lax during the covid era and a funeral directors could be in the position to not do things by the book. If Woolston is found alive this would be the biggest story since John Darwin went canoeing. And it was an internet sleuth who found the photo evidence. JMO.
 
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"Hull funeral directors investigation: Man told urn does not hold wife's ashes"

www.bbc.co.uk

Hull funeral directors investigation: Man told urn does not hold wife's ashes

Richard Shaw used Legacy Independent Funeral Directors for his wife Rita's cremation.
www.bbc.co.uk

The man in the article says he plans to spread the ashes he has (not his wife's ashes) in his garden. This kind of worries me for those affected who are very sentimental about ashes, imo I don't think people should be spreading ashes that aren't theirs. Especially not in their own gardens. Also surprised the police haven't collected the ashes now it's established they ain't his wive's.

It would be more appropriate for Hull City Council to organise a central memorial and for all unknown ashes to be buried there, so those affected have a place to remember their loved ones with the "hope" they are there. JMO.
 
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Skigh said:
www.mirror.co.uk

Police probing funeral director 'unlawful burials' make devastating statement

Humberside Police has given a major update in the investigation into Legacy Independent Funeral Directors after 35 bodies were removed from one of its branches in Hull last month
www.mirror.co.uk www.mirror.co.uk
Click to expand...
The article contains the following -

The father-of-two said when the family were told by police he was furious. He added: "I just wanted to get revenge because of what happened to my mum, it's disgusting. I was fuming. Her body had been there for seven weeks. It had just been dumped there and wasn't even in a freezer."

If some of the bodies weren't even being refrigerated, is this how Legacy were finally rumbled? Did somebody notice the smell?
 
Yellowbelly said:
If some of the bodies weren't even being refrigerated, is this how Legacy were finally rumbled? Did somebody notice the smell?
Click to expand...
There was something about an undercover sting in a previous news article. I wonder if the people at the Castle Motors garage next door noticed anything though, especially as they're right next to the part of the building where the bodies were being kept and there is an air vent on the roof right next to the Castle premises.
 
Silverlink said:
The owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors Ltd is Robert James Bush, who is 46 years old and is clearly the man who has been arrested.

LEGACY INDEPENDENT FUNERAL DIRECTORS LTD people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

LEGACY INDEPENDENT FUNERAL DIRECTORS LTD - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

Here is his Facebook profile:

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

Bush advertised a mortuary fridge on Facebook marketplace last year.

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
Click to expand...
Fack!
 

Hull funeral directors probe: Police unable to identify cremated ashes​


Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin with Hull City Council's Julia Weldon and East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Angela Dearing

Image caption, Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin with (left) Hull City's Julia Weldon and East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Angela Dearing

Police say it is not possible to identify any of the cremated ashes at the centre of a major probe into a Hull funeral directors.

Humberside Police began investigating Legacy Independent Funeral Directors on 6 March following "concern for care of the deceased".

Thirty-five bodies and a quantity of ashes were recovered from the firm.
Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin said the latest development would be "devastating" for families.

Mr McLoughlin told a press conference on Thursday that the force had updated more than 700 affected families over the Easter weekend.

[…]

He said officers had been working closely with forensic scientists "to assess whether it was possible to extract DNA from the human ashes in order to identify them".

While the force was satisfied the "proper cremation process had been followed", Mr McLoughlin said experts had deduced it would not be possible "to recover a meaningful DNA profile".

He added: "This will, of course, be devastating news for families and loved ones."
Mr McLoughlin said extensive work was continuing to formally identify the 35 bodies recovered from the firm's Hessle Road site.

It was a lengthy process but he added that - once completed - it would "provide families with complete assurances as to the identity of their loved ones" and "repatriation with their families".

Mr McLoughlin said investigators were also following up calls relating to suspected financial fraud.

[…]

www.bbc.co.uk

Hull funeral directors probe: Police unable to identify cremated ashes

"Devastating news" for families as probe into Legacy Independent Funeral Directors continues.
www.bbc.co.uk
 
Update. As followers of this case may know there have been suggestions (covered in the media) of a link between Legacy and the previous business based at their Hessle Road building, Heavenly Services. The latter was also the focus of a fraud investigation until the owner "died" on 11 October 2021.

The Hull Daily Mail reported on 14 March 2024 that Simon Woolston of Heavenly Services died of "Covid". This caused great confusion, especially given that the same newspaper had previously reported on 14 October 2021 he had died of a "sudden and acute illness" (Covid is rarely "sudden" and is usually just referred to as "Covid" without the verbal gymnastics). Woolston had been active in a webinar on 06-10-21 and was posting online on 07-10-21 (see www.twitter.com/simonewoolston) so the timeline did not make sense for a covid death.

Another member and myself have been sleuthing this case (I'm sure they'll post when released from "Time Out") and we can reveal that Woolston died in Hull Royal Infirmary on 11-10-21. His death was not from Covid but, as confirmed by an autopsy and his death certificate, the main cause of death was "sepsis" as a result of "severe acute Cholecystolithiasis with abscess formation". A secondary contributing cause was "Coronary Artery Sclerosis and Stenosis". Poor reporting, Hull Daily Mail!

Woolston's death was not registered until 20 January 2022, possibly due to the autopsy (although there was no inquest), which explains why it does not show in the online GRO Records (which only go up to the end of Q4 2021). This is all factual public information but I will not post the death certificate due to sensitive additional details. I can show to any admins for veracity if required (admins please DM me if required and we can maybe post a redacted version).

Anyway, it looks like Simon Woolston is probably NOT alive and living in Thailand (a death in a hospital with an autopsy would be difficult to fake) so we can sort of clear that up. Although it's a shame his fraud victims will not see justice. Hopefully all those affected by the seemingly separate Legacy case will get some sort of resolution though. While a link between the two has still not been wholly ruled out (police said it was too "early", although they hadn't identified a link at that "stage"), a few more questions have now been answered.
 
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JustTryingToHelp said:
Update. As followers of this case may know there have been suggestions (covered in the media) of a link between Legacy and the previous business based at their Hessle Road building, Heavenly Services. The latter was also the focus of a fraud investigation until the owner "died" on 11 October 2021.

The Hull Daily Mail reported on 14 March 2024 that Simon Woolston of Heavenly Services died of "Covid". This caused great confusion, especially given that the same newspaper had previously reported on 14 October 2021 he had died of a "sudden and acute illness" (Covid is rarely "sudden" and is usually just referred to as "Covid" without the verbal gymnastics). Woolston had been active in a webinar on 06-10-21 and was posting online on 07-10-21 (see www.twitter.com/simonewoolston) so the timeline did not make sense for a covid death.

Another member and myself have been sleuthing this case (I'm sure they'll post when released from "Time Out") and we can reveal that Woolston died in Hull Royal Infirmary on 11-10-21. His death was not from Covid but, as confirmed by an autopsy and his death certificate, the main cause of death was "sepsis" as a result of "severe acute Cholecystolithiasis with abscess formation". A secondary contributing cause was "Coronary Artery Sclerosis and Stenosis". Poor reporting, Hull Daily Mail!

Woolston's death was not registered until 20 January 2022, possibly due to the autopsy (although there was no inquest), which explains why it does not show in the online GRO Records (which only go up to the end of Q4 2021). This is all factual public information but I will not post the death certificate due to sensitive additional details. I can show to any admins for veracity if required (admins please DM me if required and we can maybe post a redacted version).

Anyway, it looks like Simon Woolston is probably NOT alive and living in Thailand (a death in a hospital with an autopsy would be difficult to fake) so we can sort of clear that up. Although it's a shame his fraud victims will not see justice. Hopefully all those affected by the seemingly separate Legacy case will get some sort of resolution though. While a link between the two has still not been wholly ruled out (police said it was too "early", although they hadn't identified a link at that "stage"), a few more questions have now been answered.
Click to expand...
Good work. Cholecystolithiasis = gall stones. If you look on the various Hull pages on facebook and reddit there definitely are plenty of Hull people who think Woolston faked his own death and fled to Thailand, so at least that's been cleared up now.
 
Yellowbelly said:
Good work. Cholecystolithiasis = gall stones. If you look on the various Hull pages on facebook and reddit there definitely are plenty of Hull people who think Woolston faked his own death and fled to Thailand, so at least that's been cleared up now.
Click to expand...
Yes, looks like he had gallstones which caused an abscess and led to sepsis. Whilst potentially survivable when treated early, it seems he also had narrowed arteries which added complications and contributed to his death.

I just wish the media had been clearer on the cause and place of death and sought and reported the correct information as, as you state, a lot of his financial victims had concerns he'd fled and the news articles were confusing. A funeral director would have been in an ideal position to "fake" a death, but the death in hospital and the autopsy make this unlikely.

The death certificate has now pretty much convinced me he is dead. If his family read this, sorry for your loss but it was in the public interest to find the truth (due to the rumours and the possibility he'd fled justice).

But do I think Woolston's residual estate (£90k not including Heavenly Services, see probate) should have been used to pay back fraud victims under Proceeds of Crime? Hmm, if possible, yes. Proceeds of crime | The Crown Prosecution Service. He wasn't convicted but a civil pursuit could perhaps have been possible.

JMO
 
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Hull funeral home: Denied final goodbye with mum due to ‘decomposition’​

www.bbc.co.uk

Hull funeral home: Denied final goodbye with mum due to ‘decomposition’

BBC Radio 4 File on 4 investigates a Hull funeral home where police found 35 bodies and human ashes.
www.bbc.co.uk

Grandmother’s coffin in funeral scandal ‘spattered with blood and engulfed in mould’​

www.telegraph.co.uk

Grandmother’s coffin in funeral scandal ‘spattered with blood and engulfed in mould’

Hull man recalls how his ‘heart just stopped’ when he viewed body at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk

Man's 'heart just stopped' when he saw his grandmother's coffin covered in 'blood and mould' in funeral parlour scandal​

www.gbnews.com

Man's 'heart just stopped' when he saw his grandmother's coffin covered in 'blood and mould' in funeral parlour scandal

Humberside Police announced last month that it had recovered 35 bodies from
www.gbnews.com www.gbnews.com

My grandmother's coffin was spattered with blood and engulfed in mould - then police told me the ashes the funeral director gave us weren't hers​

www.dailymail.co.uk

My grandmother's coffin was spattered with blood and engulfed in mould

Tristan Essex, 24, from Hull, spoke out as police continue to investigate Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, whose three Humberside branches were raided and searched last month.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk

'Legacy Funeral Directors kept my gran with wet hair in coffin engulfed in black mould'
www.dailystar.co.uk

Legacy Funeral Directors 'had wet-haired gran in coffin engulfed in black mould'

Jessie Stockdale, 89, died in November last year and her remains were dealt with by under-fire Hull firm Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, whom her nephew claims mistreated her
www.dailystar.co.uk www.dailystar.co.uk

Sticky note on gran's bloodied coffin at scandal-hit funeral home
www.examinerlive.co.uk

Sticky note on gran's bloodied coffin at scandal-hit funeral home

Tristan Essex was horrified by the condition both of his grandmother Jessie and her coffin at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull
www.examinerlive.co.uk www.examinerlive.co.uk

Daytime TV death-wish adverts are no way to show the elderly respect'
www.mirror.co.uk

'Daytime TV death-wish adverts are no way to show the elderly respect'

Upsetting adverts for cremations and funerals are all over daytime TV, says Paul Routledge, while concerns are growing over practices in the end-of-life industry after recent scandals
www.mirror.co.uk www.mirror.co.uk
 
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