A 60-year-old man has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison after concealing his mother’s death for nearly three years, keeping her body in a chest freezer and continuing to collect her pension and welfare benefits.
Christopher Phillips was convicted after police discovered the body of his 89-year-old mother, Sylvia Phillips, at their family home in Poplar Crescent, Porthcawl, Bridgend County, during a welfare check.
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard that Sylvia died on March 8, 2023, but her death was never reported to the authorities.
The court was told that Phillips, who was adopted by Sylvia when he was two years old, had been her primary caregiver since 2008 and shared an exceptionally close relationship with her.
Following her death, Phillips told investigators that he “did not want to let her go” and simply “wanted more time.”
Two days after Sylvia’s death, he purchased a chest freezer, placed it in the dining room of their semi-detached home and stored her body inside, where it remained until police made the discovery.
When officers opened the freezer, they found Sylvia’s body wrapped in a leopard-print silk blanket with yellow and pink roses placed beside her. A birthday card reading “To Mum, from Christopher and Tina”, the family’s dog, was also found.
Police visited the property after Sylvia’s general practitioner requested a welfare check following repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact her.
Phillips initially claimed his mother had moved to London and no longer wished to undergo medical examinations.
However, officers became suspicious after observing that he appeared visibly nervous. During the visit, he reportedly ran upstairs and was overheard telling his girlfriend over the phone: “The police are going to arrest me, you’ve got the will.”
Because Sylvia’s body had remained frozen for an extended period, a post-mortem examination was delayed. Pathologists were ultimately unable to establish the exact cause of death, although the court heard there was no evidence of suspicious circumstances.
The court also heard that Phillips had moved downstairs to sleep near the freezer and would occasionally open it to hold his mother’s hand.
Evidence showed Sylvia had attended her GP practice numerous times before her death and was last seen at an accident and emergency department in September 2022.
After her death, Phillips continued collecting her prescriptions and informed the GP surgery that she would not attend scheduled medical reviews or undergo blood tests.
Prosecutors told the court that Phillips received £78,190.92 in state pension, pension credit, attendance allowance, winter fuel payments, cost-of-living support and housing benefits after Sylvia’s death.
Those payments would have ceased had her death been officially reported.
Defence counsel Ruth Smith described Phillips as a vulnerable and isolated man who had left his job in late 2022 to care for his mother as her health deteriorated.
She told the court that Phillips struggled to accept his mother’s death and continued speaking to her as though she were still alive, discussing television programmes, including Coronation Street, and horse racing.
Smith argued that he had developed what she described as a false belief that his mother was still alive because of overwhelming grief.
Phillips pleaded guilty to three offences, including failing to lawfully and decently dispose of his mother’s body and dishonestly continuing to claim her pension and benefits.
While sentencing him, Judge Lloyd-Clarke said Phillips had deliberately concealed his mother’s death and taken deliberate steps to create the impression that she remained alive.
“Rather than notify the authorities and make arrangements for her lawful burial, you purchased a chest freezer on March 10th and concealed her body within it,” the judge said.
The court also found that Phillips had continued collecting his mother’s prescriptions and had repeatedly misled healthcare professionals before lying to police officers investigating her whereabouts.
Phillips will serve 40% of his prison sentence in custody, with the remainder to be served on licence. The court also heard that confiscation proceedings relating to the fraudulently obtained benefits will follow.
