Police Make Third Arrest in Hull Funeral Home Investigation

A police officer outside the Beckside branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, England on March 9, 2024. (Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

Humberside Police have arrested a 54-year-old woman as part of an investigation into a firm of funeral directors in the city of Hull.

She was held on Wednesday on suspicion of money laundering in connection to the ongoing investigation into the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.

Humberside Police launched the investigation in March, and has recovered 35 bodies as well as suspected human ashes at the company’s main premises in the city.

The 54-year-old woman is the third person to be held in the case, following the arrests of a man, 46, and a woman, 23, in March.

The two individuals were arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position.

Both of them remained on police bail, until on July 3, the man was arrested again. The police suspect he is involved theft, making or supplying articles for use in frauds and offences under the Financial Services Act.

Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin said: “This remains an extremely complex and sensitive investigation and we continue to follow all lines of enquiry and seek answers for the families involved and those affected by this report.

“Three people have now been arrested as part of the investigation, two are in our custody and one remains on police bail whilst investigations continue.”

The detectives have been probing the mishandling of bodies and ashes by the Legacy funeral directors. It is said that 163 families are involved and have been spoken to by the police.

Commenting on the case earlier this week, Mr. McLoughlin said it was impossible to identify any of the human ashes using DNA profiles, a fact he said would be “devastating news for families and loved ones.”

The families are now unsure whether the ashes of their loved ones have been correctly identified and handled.

“As we enter the fourth month since the initial report came into us, we continue to keep the families, friends and everyone affected at the heart of everything we do and are committed to working with partners to ensure that they receive the help and support that they need,” Mr. McLoughlin said in a statement on Wednesday.

He has urged the members of the public who have concerns or feel impacted by the investigation to call the victim support helpline.

Regulatory Framework

In March, the chief executive of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, Julie Dunk, said the Hull incident highlighted the need for funeral directors to be regulated.

Currently, undertakers and funeral directors are only regulated by the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) regarding the prices they charge and there is no inspection infrastructure as there is with hospitals, schools, and care homes.

In 2021, the CMA published a funerals market investigation order which banned undertakers from “entering or conducting certain arrangements with a hospital, hospice, care home, or other similar institution which could reasonably be understood to incentivise the institution to refer customers to the funeral director or give that funeral director preference over other funeral directors.”

It also forbade them from “soliciting business through coroner and police contacts.”

The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) carry out regular inspections against the code of practice of their members.

SAIF said its members are required to adhere to a strict code of practice covering care of the deceased, including the return of ashes to bereaved families and invoicing.

In relation to the Legacy funeral directors, both NAFD and SAIF said the firm is not a member and therefore not subject to inspections.

All funeral homes should be held to the same high standards, NAFD said, urging the public to be cautious.

“A good funeral director will communicate with you transparently and will have no concerns about describing or showing you their facilities,” the association said.