Christopher Phillips, 60, is jailed for keeping his dead mother’s body in a chest freezer at their home in Porthcawl, South Wales, for nearly three years while collecting her benefits. Multiple reports say his mother, 89-year-old Sylvia (also reported as Silvia) Phillips, died in March 2023. After her death, Phillips bought the freezer and stored her body in the living room. Police discovered the body in February of this year following concerns raised by a medical practice about his mother’s welfare. The court hears that Phillips concealed her death from professionals, including by continuing to collect her pension and benefits that were paid into his mother’s bank accounts. He previously admitted preventing the lawful and decent burial of his mother. He also pleaded guilty to fraud charges connected to failing to notify authorities, including the Department for Work and Pensions and a local council, that his mother had died. Phillips is sentenced to two years and four months in prison at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court. Reporting also includes statements that Phillips had been his mother’s primary carer for years before her death and told police he did not want to “let her go.”