Christopher Phillips, 60, was jailed for two years and four months after keeping his dead mother's body in a chest freezer for almost three years while claiming £78,190.92 of her benefits.
Phillips hid the body of his 89-year-old mother, Silvia Phillips, inside a chest freezer in the living room of their home in Porthcawl, South Wales. Her body was covered with a leopard-print throw decorated with yellow and pink roses, along with a birthday card reading "To Mum, from Christopher and Tina," a reference to the family dog.
Phillips, a company director, told police he "basically didn't want to let her go" and wanted more time with her.
Guilty pleas and sentencing
Phillips pleaded guilty to preventing his mother's lawful and decent burial and to two counts of fraud, for failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions and Bridgend County Borough Council that she had died. He was sentenced by Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff.
Judge Lloyd-Clarke said Phillips "continued to collect her prescriptions and misled medical professionals about her whereabouts, lying when enquiries were made about your mother, repeatedly telling medical staff that she did not wish to attend appointments or undergo tests." She added that his mother's pension and benefits continued to be paid into her bank accounts, which he was able to access.
Death and concealment
Phillips had left work to become his mother's full-time carer in the months before her death on March 8, 2023. On the day she died, he held her in his arms and told her he would look after her. Two days later, he bought a chest freezer from AO.com and placed it in the living room with her body inside.
The judge said his mother "suffered the indignity of being stored in a chest freezer for three years," but that there were no other indignities following her death. She said the offending was aggravated by the length of time over which Phillips concealed his mother's death and by the financial advantage he gained from continuing to receive her pension and benefits.
Discovery and arrest
Ms Phillips's body was found by police officers in February 2026 after her GP raised concerns for her welfare. South Wales Police attended the house, on a quiet cul-de-sac, shortly before 7pm on February 17. When officers confronted Phillips, he claimed his mother was staying in London with cousins, but could not provide details of the relatives or where they lived. He later answered "no comment" to all questions during a police interview.
Defence and background
Ruth Smith, defending, said Phillips was suffering from "extreme grief" and had placed his mother's body in the living room so he could be near her, occasionally holding her hand and speaking to her about what was on television. She said Phillips had been adopted by Ms Phillips at the age of two and was "exceptionally close" to her, the pair having lived together for 50 years, with Phillips acting as her primary carer since 2008.
Smith said Phillips described talking to his mother as if she was still alive, sitting next to her and discussing television programmes, Coronation Street and the horse racing, just as they always did. She said Phillips was "a vulnerable individual with a vulnerable mental health situation at the time of his mother's death."
An inquest into Ms Phillips's death will take place in due course.
