IT’S a scene of such horror that even hardened cops were sickened when they found rotting bodies at a funeral parlour.
Undertaker Robert Bush was jailed 20 years for stockpiling bodies and handing relatives ashes belonging to strangers. But the scandal has ignited bizarre rumours surrounding the man Bush bought his business from.
Robert Bush was jailed for 20 years for stockpiling dead bodies Credit: NB PRESS LTD
Legacy funeral directors took over from Heavenly which was also being investigated for fraud Credit: PA
Bush opened Legacy Independent Funeral Directors after taking over the Hessle Road building from Simon Woolston (pictured), who operated another undertakers called Heavenly Service Credit: MEN Media
The victims Bush photographed in court, as he was sentenced for 20 years Credit: PA
Bush opened Legacy Independent Funeral Directors after taking over the Hessle Road building from Simon Woolston, who operated another undertakers called Heavenly Services.
Heavenly collapsed in October 2021 and police launched an investigation into potential fraud at the firm after customers complained they had taken out pre-paid funeral plans and paid for non-existent burial plots.
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Just two weeks before the police probe Woolsten, a locally famous drag queen who also owned companies in Thailand, suddenly died, prompting suspicion from locals.
Now social media sleuths and families involved in Legacy are convinced that Woolston, 51, is alive and well and that Robert Bush handled his cremation – despite there being no evidence of the conspiracy.
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One woman, whose mother-in-law was one of the 35 bodies found at Legacy, told The Jattvibe: “It’s all too much of a coincidence that both Bush and Woolston were investigated for selling funeral plans that didn’t exist.
“We’re all suspicious that Woolston showed Bush how to con people. We’ve heard that Bush handled his cremation and, given his history, how do we know that he actually disposed of a body?
“We’ve also heard that Woolsten’s death was reported late and by phone because it was during the pandemic which has led to questions about whether he is actually dead.”
There is no indication that Bush handled Woolston’s cremation or that the pair knew each other outside business transactions.
Simon Woolston was also investigated for fraud before he passed away in 2022 Credit: MEN Media
Robert Bush with his daughter Saskya Bush leading her first horse-drawn service in July 2019), an employee. Credit: Tim Stewart
Records also show that Woolston died of sepsis and his death was registered in January 2022.
But it has not stopped a slew of conspiracy theories around Woolston’s death.
One Facebook commentator wrote: “The odd thing I find is how Simon died in October but then only two months later Legacy took over the premises. That’s a very quick turnaround.”
Another penned: “All this goes back to Simon.”
A third commented: “I don’t believe Simon is dead. It’s so suspicious that Rob apparently did his funeral.”
Woolston was once the director of Hull’s Pride event and ran several pubs around the city, including one of its most historic, the George. He had a drag queen alter ego called Lucy.
He court controversy when he first opened Heavenly after putting up a cheeky billboard advertising cheap funerals opposite Hull Royal Infirmary.
When he first opened Heavenly, which also operated in Bradford, Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Leeds, Woolston offered journalists a chance to ‘tour’ the building.
Robert Bush, 48, a British funeral director who pleaded guilty to deceiving families over the cremation of people and stealing from mourners’ donations to charities. Credit: Reuters
Campaigners calling for regulation of the industry outside of court
But the business soon hit the headlines for the wrong reasons when employee Dana Twidale was convicted of fraud.
Wedding planner Twidale, 49, from Hull, fled to Spain after conning brides and grooms out of thousands of pounds. She was jailed for five years in 2021 after taking £15,000 from 24 couples.
She also defrauded more than £42,000 from a man she met on a dating site and conned a woman while working at Heavenly – spinning a lie with eerie parallels to Robert Bush.
Twidale tricked Nigel Wainwright, who she met on Tinder, after telling him her mother had died and her body was “rotting” at Heavenly.
She also conned grieving Fiona Barker, whose son had taken his own life, into giving her £300 after falsely claiming her brother tried to do the same thing.
Humberside Police has previously confirmed an investigation into Heavenly.
A statement read: “An investigation was carried out in November 2021 after we received reports from members of the public regarding the fraudulent use of monies intended for pre-paid funeral plans through the company Heavenly Services.
“Heavenly Services operated at the same premise on Hessle Road, Hull, as a separate company, Legacy funeral Directors, who we received a report of concern about the storage and management processes relating to care of the deceased in these locations…we do not believe the two investigations to be connected.”
