Son kept mother's body in freezer for three years, claimed £78,000 pension; jailed in UK

A 60-year-old man from Porthcawl, Wales, has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison for concealing his mother's body and defrauding pension and benefit agencies. Christopher Phillips admitted to failing to lawfully bury his mother, Sylvia Phillips, and to fraudulently claiming her pension, housing benefit, and winter fuel payments for nearly three years after her death in March 2023.

Phillips placed his mother's body in a chest freezer two days after she died at the age of 89. Her body remained undiscovered until February 2026, when police conducted a welfare check at the request of her GP. During the visit, Phillips falsely claimed his mother had moved to London. Officers, growing suspicious, searched the property and found her body inside the freezer, wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by flowers.

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You continued to collect her prescription and lied to medical professionals and eventually the police.

A post-mortem examination could not determine the exact cause of Sylvia Phillips' death due to the prolonged freezing period. Investigators found no evidence to suggest her death was suspicious. Court documents revealed Phillips told doctors he "did not want to let her go" and "wanted more time" after her death. He reportedly slept downstairs near the freezer and would sometimes hold his mother's hand.

Over the nearly three years her body remained in the freezer, Phillips continued to collect her prescriptions and misled medical staff about her condition. The deception unraveled when her GP's concerns led to the police investigation. The court heard that Phillips received a total of £78,190.92 in pension and benefit payments after his mother's death. Confiscation proceedings are expected to follow.

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Rather than notify the authorities and make arrangements for her lawful burial, you purchased a chest freezer... and concealed her body within it.