Mum of baby found at Legacy funeral home says ‘I’m trying to forgive’

A mother whose stillborn baby was discovered in a Hull undertakers almost two years after his funeral says she is trying to forgive the man responsible.

Jasmine Beverley gave birth to her son, Sunny Beverley-Conlin, prematurely in May 2022. They held a funeral and were given ashes.

But two years later they discovered the ashes were not his – and police later found their son’s body, still at the funeral home.

On Wednesday, former undertaker Robert Bush appeared at Hull Crown Court after an investigation into human remains found at his premises. He pleaded guilty to 35 counts of fraud by false representation, one of which related to Mrs Beverley. He faces a trial on other charges in October 2026.

“I am trying to forgive him,” said Mrs Beverley, “but I am finding it hard, there must be some reason why he did this.”

She described Sunny’s original funeral service in June 2022 as “beautiful”. It was held in an on-site chapel at Legacy’s headquarters.

Following the ceremony, her family were presented with an urn of ashes. They were informed by police in March 2024 they were the remains of an unidentified stranger.

Jasmine and her husband Ben Conlin returned those ashes to police. She said she had polished the urn daily and “whoever was in there, was loved like they were my own baby.”

Mr Bush also admitted deceiving three other women into thinking ashes he gave them were those of their unborn babies.

Humberside Police began investigating Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in March 2024 after they received a “call of concern for the deceased”. They announced at the time 35 bodies and the ashes of at least 163 people were recovered from the firm’s headquarters.

Sunny was the only stillborn baby found at the premises.

Mrs Beverley received the call that Sunny had been found whilst she was pregnant with her fifth child. She said it “ruined” the final months of her pregnancy and plunged her into a depression. At times she said she had suicidal thoughts.

Mrs Beverley said it had highlighted to her how pregnancy loss was still a taboo subject and reliving Sunny’s birth had added “further distress”.

The family held a second funeral before Sunny was buried alongside his great-grandparents, Mrs Beverley said she was “happy that he is finally home”.

Reflecting on Mr Bush’s guilty plea in relation to her family, she said she felt “mixed emotions” because other families were “playing a waiting game” for next year’s trial.

Mr Bush denied 30 counts of preventing lawful and decent burials and one charge of stealing money from charity collection boxes, during Wednesday’s hearing at Hull Crown Court.

He was bailed until his next court appearance and will be sentenced after the conclusion of his trial.