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.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke sentenced Phillips to two years and four months in prison on Monday, saying his mother had "suffered the indignity of being stored ⁠in a chest freezer for three years" while he collected money intended for her.

Christopher Phillips from Wales has been jailed for hiding his mother's dead body to collect her pension and benefits. Photo by South Wales police

Phillips pleaded guilty to 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's 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 her 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 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.

"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.