The short version
- Christopher Phillips was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for failing to bury his mother and continuing to collect her benefits.
- Police discovered the body of Sylvia Phillips, 89, in a chest freezer at their home in Porthcawl after repeated failed attempts by medical staff to contact her.
- The court heard that Phillips, who was adopted by his mother and served as her sole carer, struggled with grief and created a false narrative that she was still alive.
A Welsh man has been sentenced to prison after keeping his deceased mother’s body in a household freezer for nearly three years while continuing to collect her state benefits. Christopher Phillips, 60, received a term of two years and four months at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court after admitting to failing to lawfully bury Sylvia Phillips, 89, and fraudulently claiming financial support intended for the living.
The discovery occurred in February when police conducted a welfare check at the family home in Porthcawl, Bridgend county. Officers had been called after her general practitioner made repeated attempts to contact the elderly woman without success. Upon arrival, Phillips initially claimed his mother had moved to London and refused medical testing. When officers grew suspicious of his nervous behavior, they eventually located the body wrapped in a blanket with flowers and a birthday card inside a chest freezer in the dining room.
Court documents revealed that Phillips had purchased the freezer just two days after his mother died on March 8, 2023. He told medical professionals he did not want to let her go and wanted more time. The pair were described as exceptionally close and somewhat isolated, with Phillips serving as her primary carer since 2008. He resigned from his job in late 2022 as her health declined, further withdrawing from public life.
Phillips admitted to collecting a total of £78,190.92 in various forms of state support, including pension credits, housing benefits, and winter fuel allowances. These payments would have ceased had the death been properly reported. Judge Lloyd-Clarke noted that Phillips deliberately concealed the death and took active steps to maintain the impression that she was still alive, including collecting prescriptions and lying to medical staff.
Defense attorney Ruth Smith described Phillips as a vulnerable individual experiencing extreme grief. She stated that he talked to his mother’s body as if she were still alive, discussing television programs and daily life. The pathologist was unable to determine a specific cause of death but found no suspicious circumstances surrounding the passing. Confiscation proceedings regarding the fraudulently obtained funds are expected to follow.
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- BBC News↗Son who kept mum's body in freezer for years collected £78k of her benefits
