Man, 60, who kept his dead mother in a freezer for nearly three years while receiving £78,000 of her benefits is jailed

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 07:31 EDT, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 07:37 EDT, 3 August 2026 A son has been jailed after keeping his dead mother inside a freezer for nearly three years while claiming more than £78,000 of her benefits.Christopher Phillips, 60, previously admitted preventing the lawful and decent burial of Silvia Phillips, 89, at their home on a quiet cul-de-sac in Porthcawl, South Wales. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud, by failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as Bridgend County Borough Council, that his mother had died.Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, today sentenced Phillips to two years and four months' imprisonment. Christopher Phillips, 60, previously admitted preventing the lawful and decent burial of Silvia Phillips, 89, at their home in Porthcawl He also pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud, by failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as Bridgend County Borough Council, that his mother had died, over the same datesMerthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard Phillips had left work to become a full-time carer for his mother in the months leading up to her death on March 8, 2023.Following her death, the cause of which remains unknown, the defendant purchased a chest freezer and used this to store her body inside the living-room of the property.The court heard the body was covered with a leopard print throw and found alongside roses and a birthday card, reading 'To Mum, from Christopher and Tina', a reference to the family dog.Phillips received a total of £78,190.92 in benefits following his mother's death.At the time of the investigation a police spokesman said: 'South Wales Police attended an address on Poplar Crescent, Porthcawl at 1.45pm on Tuesday, February 17, after a call concerning the welfare of a woman.'A woman in her 80s from Porthcawl was found dead within the property.'