- By Vaidika Thapa
- Tue, 04 Aug 2026 04:12 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Man hid mother's body in freezer for three years.
- Fraudulently collected £78,000 in her state benefits.
- Sentenced to two years and four months in prison.
A shocking case has come to light in the United Kingdom, where a 60-year-old man has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison after hiding his late mother's body in a living room chest freezer for nearly three years while fraudulently collecting her state benefits.
UK Man Jailed For Hiding Mother's Body In Freezer
According to BBC News report, the man identified as Christopher Phillips, from Porthcawl, Wales, had purchased a freezer to conceal his mother’s remains and went on to illegally pocket seventy-eight thousand pounds (approximately Rs 99,96,753) in her pension and state benefits, including winter fuel allowances, and housing payments.
His mother, Sylvia Phillips had passed away in March 2023 at the age of 89. However, her body was not discovered until 2026. The deception unraveled in February, when a police welfare check, prompted by concerned medical professionals uncovered the body. The Merthyr Tydfil Crown court heard that Phillips bought the chest freezer just two days after his mother died. He placed her body inside, where it remained hidden for nearly three years.
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What Did The Police Find?
When police officers visited the South Wales property for a welfare check, Phillips lied and claimed his mother had moved to London and did not want to take any medical tests. Suspicious of his story, officers searched the house and found her body wrapped in a leopard-print blanket inside the freezer, surrounded by yellow and pink roses.
A birthday card was also found during the search which addressed "To Mum, from Christopher and Tina.” While a post-mortem examination could not establish Sylvia’s exact cause of death as her body had remained frozen for a long period of time, investigators said there was no evidence to suggest her death was suspicious.
Received Pension Benefits
During the court proceedings, the defense claimed that a severe, prolonged grief disorder drove Phillips to sleep in the same room and treat his deceased mother as if she were still alive. Phillips reportedly told doctors that he "did not want to let her go" and "wanted more time" after her death. He even continued collecting her prescriptions and always told medical staff she did not need appointments or blood tests.
Judge Lloyd-Clarke said he had deliberately concealed his mother's death and misled medical professionals and police for years. "You continued to collect her prescription and lied to medical professionals and eventually the police...Rather than notify the authorities and make arrangements for her lawful burial, you purchased a chest freezer... and concealed her body within it," the judge said. It was also revealed that Phillips had received 78,190.92 pounds in pension and benefit payments following his mother's death.
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