By Zuko Komisa

- A Welsh man has been sentenced to over two years in prison for hiding his mother’s body in a chest freezer while unlawfully collecting her pension benefits.
- Police uncovered the body of 89-year-old Silvia Phillips at their home in February following a routine welfare check, concluding a multi-year concealment.
- Cardiff Crown Court handed down a 28-month custodial sentence after the 60-year-old admitted to fraud and preventing a lawful burial.
A 60-year-old man from Porthcawl, Wales, has been jailed for two years and four months after concealing his deceased mother’s body in a home freezer to illegally continue drawing her state pension benefits.
The individual admitted to preventing the lawful burial of his 89-year-old mother, Silvia Phillips, alongside charges of fraud for fraudulently pocketing her government payouts following her death around 2023.
Officers from South Wales Police uncovered her remains in February during a welfare check at their Poplar Crescent property, discovering the body wrapped in a leopard-print throw alongside roses and a birthday card.
Delivering the custodial sentence at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday, the presiding judge highlighted the severity of the deliberate scheme to deceive public authorities, stating:
“The prolonged concealment of a deceased parent alongside the deceptive exploitation of state benefit systems represents an egregious breach of both filial duty and public trust.”
The court heard that the deception allowed the man to dishonestly siphon off public funds for nearly two years before law enforcement intervened. He will serve his term in a UK prison facility.
READ NEXT: Police seize R28m cocaine shipment at OR Tambo Airport