UK man jailed for claiming late mother's benefits while keeping her body in freezer

A 60-year-old British man, Christopher Phillips, was jailed for keeping his mother's body in a freezer for nearly three years while claiming £78,000 in welfare benefits.

A British man who kept his mother's ​body in a freezer for ​nearly three years while ‌he received almost £80,000 ($108,000) ​of her welfare benefits was jailed on Monday. Christopher Phillips, 60, had admitted preventing the lawful and decent burial of ‌his 89-year-old mother Sylvia Phillips after she died in March 2023 until his arrest at their home in Porthcawl, south Wales, in February this year.

Phillips also pleaded admitted fraud ‌after he received about £78,000 in benefits and pension payments after his mother's death. ‌Police said the cause of death is not yet known. Officers attended Phillips' address in February after concerns were raised about his mother, whom medical professionals had not seen since September 2022.

Phillips told police ⁠she ​was in London with ⁠relatives, but a search of the home led to officers discovering a freezer with Sylvia Phillips' body ⁠inside, covered with flowers and next to a birthday card from her son and his ​dog. British media reported that Phillips told a psychiatrist that he "didn't want to let ⁠her go" and that his lawyers said Phillips had slept in the same room to be close ⁠to ​the body.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke sentenced Phillips to two years and four months in prison, saying his mother had "suffered the indignity of being stored in a chest ⁠freezer for three years" while he collected money intended for her. "This is an extremely sad ⁠case where ⁠Phillips concealed his own mother's death and financially profited for a significant period," Detective Chief Inspector Claire Lamerton from South Wales Police said ‌in a ‌statement. ($1 = 0.7431 pounds)