The funeral director who stockpiled bodies in his parlour and handed bereaved families the ashes of strangers did so out of 'greed and incompetence', a court has heard.Robert Bush, 48, is being sentenced for 67 offences spanning 12 years and affecting hundreds of victims at his business, Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, in Hull.The undertaker failed to bury or cremate bodies and instead kept them at his 'dirty' premises for up to two years; gave mourners the wrong ashes; took money for funeral plans which would not be fulfilled and even stole from charity collection boxes at services he organised.While abusing the trust of bereaved families on this 'industrial scale', he spent tens of thousands of pounds on holidays and motorcycle racing and took a combined salary with his wife of more than £210,000-a-year, Hull Crown Court was told on Wednesday.On the third day of an unprecedented five-day sentencing hearing – owing to more than 220 families affected by his offending – victims sitting in the public gallery heard Bush's own explanation for his crimes for the first time.His barrister, Richard Wright KC, said Bush had written to the court to offer an apology 'without qualification', although it was not read out.'He has expressed himself to the court, and through the court to the families, as being sorry,' Mr Wright said.He said his client's offending has caused pain, anguish and upset 'on a scale that it's difficult to comprehend', adding: 'He is treated, completely understandably, as a pariah – hated and despised.' Robert Bush is being sentenced for 67 offences spanning 12 years and affecting hundreds of victims at his business, Legacy Independent Funeral Directors The 48-year-old has rarely turned to his victims from the dock of Hull Crown Court, often staring at the floorHe added: 'He was a man who had his own family, his offending has devastated their lives as well as those of his victims.'I advance those matters cautiously, they don't excuse his offending.'It simply reveals there is another side to the man.'The court was told that Bush, who prosecutors say should be sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison, prioritised himself and his family over his customers and their loved ones.Mr Wright said: 'There are demands for answers – where did the money go, why did he do it? They are all very good questions.'Questions assume there are good answers or clear explanations that explain his behaviour.'Greed, incompetence, the passage of time, an inability to keep up with his own failings. Humberside Police have released images from inside Bush's premises, including one showing a workshop where he made his own cheap coffins The funeral parlour was filthy, with clothes and possessions belonging to the dead strewn across the floor'We submit all of these are likely to have played a part, though none satisfactorily answers the questions.'The court was told that Bush stole money from charity collection boxes over a period of six years, taking as much as £12,000 intended for good causes.He also sold bogus funeral plans over 11 years, relating to 172 people, earning £562,000 from that offending.While defrauding bereaved families, Bush was taking £162,000 a year for himself although only paying tax on about £13,000 a year.He transferred an average of £52,000 a year to his wife, Vikki, although she didn't work at the businesses and he previously said it was for 'tax purposes.'The court heard in the seven years from 2017, Bush spent £95,000 on 'non-essential spending', including more than £42,000 on holidays while he was defrauding scores of customers.He also spent £21,000 on motorcycle racing and £17,400 on home improvements.The holidays included three trips to Center Parcs, £3,800 on a trip to Italy, and £3,000 on the holiday he was taking with his daughter in Arizona, US, when the horrors at the funeral home were discovered. He was arrested on his return to Heathrow.He also spent more than £9,000 on camping, £10,000 in shops including £1,000 in Boodles jewellers and £3,385 on restaurants, including £250 for a meal at fashionable Covent Garden restaurant Clos Maggiore.The judge, Mr Justice Hilliard, is due to pass sentence on Friday.