Son kept his dead mother ‘in freezer for two years so he could claim her pension’

A man has pleaded guilty to preventing the ‘lawful and decent” burial of his mother after her body was found in a freezer.

Christopher Phillips, 60, kept the body of his mother, retired company secretary Sylvia, on ice after she died at some point in 2023.

He then accessed her bank account and made withdrawals from her savings and benefits to fund his bachelor lifestyle in the seaside town of Porthcawl in Wales.

Officers had been called to carry out a ‘welfare check’ after doctors raised concerns they had not heard from Mrs Phillips.

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Her body was discovered in the chest freezer and Phillips was arrested at the property in Porthcawl, South Wales.

Phillips appeared in court where he pleaded guilty to preventing a decent and lawful burial of his elderly mother and two counts of fraud for accessing her accounts and pocketing her pension.

He was accused of preventing a burial between October 2nd 2022 and February 16 2026 – although the court later heard Mrs Phillips died in 2023.

The fraud charges said Phillips had failed to disclose to the department of work and pensions and Bridgend Council that his mother had died.

Ruth Smith, defending, said: ‘There will be a basis of plea which specifies the date of the death of Mr Phillips’ mother which was in 2023.

‘The defence do seek bank statements and information from the two agencies themselves.

It is accepted that Mr Phillips did continue withdrawing the monies from his mother’s account and effectively lived on them.’
He was remanded in custody ahead of sentence in June.

An inquest opening held on Wednesday was told it was unclear how Mrs Phillips died.

Coroner’s officer Joanne Webb said: ‘Police received a phone call from a GP practice requesting a welfare check on an elderly patient.

‘During the search of the property they located the body of a female believed to be Sylvia Phillips in a chest freezer.’
The Pontypridd hearing was told that criminal investigations were ‘ongoing’.

She was born in Gloucester in March 1936 but it is not known exactly when she died.

Ms Webb said: ‘A post mortem examination was carried out by Dr Stephen Leadbeatter at the University Hospital of Wales on 2nd March.

‘The pathologist has provided a provisional cause of death as 1a) awaiting further investigations.’
Coroner Graeme Hughes adjourned the hearing for a date to be fixed.

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