By Grâçia Ada Obi
A man kept his dead mother’s body in a chest freezer at his home for more than two years so he could pocket her pension, a court heard on Thursday 16 April 2026.
Christopher Phillips, 60, kept the body of his 89-year-old mother Sylvia frozen after she had died some time in 2023.
He then accessed her bank account and made withdrawals from her savings and her £1,000-a-month pension payments.
Phillips, a former company director, was arrested after Police were called to the home he had shared with his mother in Porthcawl, South Wales, United Kingdom (UK) in February this year and found her body.
Officers had been called to carry out a welfare check after doctors raised concerns they had not heard from the mother, who was a retired company secretary.
Phillips pleaded guilty to preventing a decent and lawful burial. He also admitted two counts of fraud for accessing his mother’s accounts and pocketing her pension.
He was accused of preventing a burial between Oct 2 2022 and Feb 16 2026, although the court later heard the mother died in 2023. He was remanded in custody at Cardiff Crown Court before sentencing in June 2 2026.
An inquest opening held at Pontypridd on Wednesday was told it was unclear how the mother died.
Joanne Webb, a coroner’s officer, 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.”
A pathologist was awaiting the results of further medical investigations to establish the cause of death, the inquest was told.
Graeme Hughes, the coroner, adjourned the hearing for a date to be fixed.
A pathologist was awaiting the results of further medical investigations to establish the cause of death, the inquest was told.
Graeme Hughes, the coroner, adjourned the hearing for a date to be fixed.
