Philipe Brough, 54, stored the body of his mum Louise in the freezer in August last year, after she died of natural causes six months earlier.
As his mother’s full-time carer, Philipe chose not to disclose Louise’s death so he would still receive his carer’s allowance and her pension.
Suspicions were raised when maintenance work needed to be done on their shared flat in Portsmouth, and Philipe became cagey when asked about his mother’s whereabouts.
When it became apparent that Philipe was lying about where Louise was, he was arrested for her murder.
Following the discovery of her body and a post-mortem, it was confirmed that Philipe had nothing to do with his mother’s murder.
The flat was described as ‘typical as the type of person one would associate with being a hoarder.’
The prosecuting barrister Martyn Booth said of the discovery of Louise’s body: “The freezer was described as being in working order, they found it was plugged in, the power lead was concealed behind various pieces of wood on the floor.
“When the freezer was opened, it was revealed the dead body of an elderly white female dressed in her nightclothes. The body was described as frozen solid and wrapped in a duvet or sheet.”
Since his mother’s death, Philipe claimed £5,390 in fraudulent benefits, of which he has paid back £2,000.
The judge ruled that Philipe had ‘an emotional inability to cope.’