A mother who experienced a miscarriage says police informed her that ashes returned by funeral director Robert Bush were "animal remains". Lucy Ness, 28, had treasured the ashes for three years, keeping them next to her baby scan.
Robert Bush, 48, is currently being sentenced at Hull Crown Court for 67 offences. These include denying 30 individuals a decent and proper burial and fraud charges related to providing families with the ashes of strangers.
Ms Ness suffered a miscarriage just before her 12-week scan in April 2021. She and her partner, Callum Ellerby, were reportedly told their baby was cremated on 10 May 2021. However, officers later explained to Ms Ness that crematorium records showed Bush collected the baby's ashes on 13 May, two days after he had presented her with an urn.
Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC stated in court that "the ashes that Lucy was given could not have been those of her baby". While the barrister did not specify an animal origin, Ms Ness maintained that police had told her the ashes were animal remains. Ms Ness has joined calls for regulation within the funeral industry.