A man has been jailed after keeping his dead mother in a freezer for nearly three years whilst claiming benefits.
Christopher Phillips, 60, from Porthcawl, previously pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body, and to fraud by false representation.
The body of his mother, Sylvia Phillips, 89, was found in a chest freezer at the home they shared in Porthcawl on 17 February.
Merthyr Crown Court heard how police were asked to carry out a welfare check on Ms Phillips at her home in Porthcawl in February, after her GP became concerned about her.
Phillips told officers that his mother had moved to London and he did not know her precise address. But when police searched the property, they found her body in a chest freezer in the dining room.
The court was told that between the time of his mother’s death and the discovery of her body, a total of £78,190.92 was paid into her bank account.
This was a combination of pension, attendance allowance, winter fuel and cost of living payments paid by the Department for Work and Pensions, and Housing Benefit paid by Bridgend County Borough Council.
The court heard Phillips used the money to pay off a credit card bill and household debts at the property he shared with his mother.
Addressing the court, defence barrister Ruth Smith said Phillips had previously been a “productive member of society” but had given up work in 2022 to provide full time care for his mother, to whom he was “exceptionally” close.
She said Phillips told a psychiatrist that when his mother died he “didn’t want to let her go”, and spent a day holding her hand and telling her he would look after her.
He later began sleeping in the same room as the freezer in order, Ms Smith said, to be close to the body.
The court heard the body was covered with a leopard print throw and found alongside roses and a birthday card, reading, “To Mum, from Christopher and Tina”, a reference to the family dog.
The court was also told how Phillips had been described as a “vulnerable” individual and was diagnosed with “prolonged grief disorder” by an expert.
The defendant bowed his head and wept as details of the offending were read out to the court.
Sentencing him to two years and four months in prison, judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told him he would have to spend 40% of his sentence behind bars with the remainder to be served on licence.
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