This man claimed £78,000 of his mum's benefits while she lay dead in his freezer

By ITV News

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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 an