A man has been jailed for keeping his deceased mother's body in a freezer at their shared home for almost three years, during which time he received more than £70,000 of her benefits and other funds.
Christopher Phillips, 60, stored the body of Sylvia Phillips, a retired company secretary, in a chest freezer in the living room of their house in Porthcawl, south Wales. Merthyr crown court heard that Phillips accessed his mother’s bank account, made withdrawals from her savings, and collected her benefits.
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke sentenced Phillips to two years and four months' imprisonment. The court heard Phillips had been his mother's primary carer since 2008 and told police he "didn't want to let her go."
Phillips pleaded guilty to preventing a decent and lawful burial and two counts of fraud. Police discovered the body during a welfare check in February this year after doctors raised concerns about not hearing from his mother.