A man from Porthcawl, South Wales, has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison after keeping his mother’s body in a freezer for nearly three years while continuing to claim her benefits. Christopher Phillips, 60, admitted to preventing the lawful and decent burial of his mother, Sylvia Phillips, who died at the age of 89 in March 2023. He also pled guilty to two counts of fraud, having failed to notify the Department for Work and Pensions and local authorities of her death.

According to court proceedings at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, Phillips stored his mother’s remains in a chest freezer purchased two days after her death. The freezer was kept in the living room of their shared home, where he reportedly placed flowers on top and spoke to her about television programmes such as Coronation Street and topics like horse racing. When medical professionals and others made inquiries about Sylvia’s health and whereabouts, Phillips gave false information, telling them she was in London and repeatedly refusing access to healthcare appointments.

During the period he concealed his mother’s death, Phillips accessed her bank accounts and continued to receive state pension, pensions credit, attendance allowance, winter fuel payments, cost-of-living support, and housing benefits amounting to £78,190.92. Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke noted that Phillips “deliberately concealed” his mother's death and took active measures to maintain the impression she was still alive, including collecting her prescriptions and misleading medical staff.

Phillips’s defense counsel highlighted the close relationship between mother and son, stating that he had been her primary carer since 2008 and had lived with her for around 50 years. His lawyer described him as a vulnerable individual suffering from prolonged grief disorder, a diagnosis supported by a court-appointed psychiatrist. The psychiatrist’s report detailed Phillips’s persistent longing for his mother, difficulty accepting her passing, preoccupation with her, social withdrawal, and inability to cope with the loss.

Neighbors expressed varying perspectives, with one mentioning that Sylvia was described as “agoraphobic,” which may have contributed to their limited contact with others. Nonetheless, the concealment of the death and fraudulent benefits claims were central to the case.

Phillips expressed to the authorities that he “didn’t want to let her go,” a sentiment echoed in court by his defense team. Despite this, the judge emphasized the seriousness of the offenses, which involved both the unlawful retention of a deceased body and significant financial fraud, resulting in Phillips’s incarceration and forthcoming proceedings to recover the misappropriated funds.