Philip Polkinghorne trial: The key evidence from week 2
Saturday, 10 August 2024
Warning: The details of this case may be distressing for some readers.
The second week of the long-anticipated trial of eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne has had a mountain of evidence, from hearing from Polkinghorne himself via his interview with police hours after Hanna died to hearing from her.
Polkinghorne, a 71-year-old eye doctor, has denied murdering his wife Pauline Hanna. She was found dead in the entranceway of their Remuera home on April 5, Easter Monday, in 2021. The trial is under way at the High Court in Auckland.
The Crown’s case is that Polkinghorne fatally strangled Hanna before reporting her death to police as a suicide. It argues he was living a double life, obsessed with meth and in a covert relationship with an escort in Sydney.
Polkinghorne’s defence is that Hanna was exhausted by work-related stress, had a history of mental health issues, was on medication, and tragically took her own life.
This week the jury hearing the trial were taken on a site visit to the Remuera home, watched Polkinghorne’s DVD interview he gave police hours after he said he found his wife dead and heard a recording of Hanna in 2019. They also heard from ESR scientists, Hanna’s brother and some friends and colleagues.
Here are the five key things we learnt this week
The dressing gown
On Monday afternoon, Polkinghorne’s lawyer, Ron Mansfield KC, spent some time looking at the dressing gown Hanna was found in. Forensic scientist Fiona Matheson noted it appeared there was yellow staining on the white terry towelled bathrobe, but couldn’t say it was urine for sure.
It is common for bodily fluids to leak onto clothing or surfaces after someone has died.
Mansfield suggested the staining of the urine on the robe suggested Hanna died sitting down after hanging herself, which is what Polkinghorne told police.
“Based on the images before us staining appears to be on the lower end of the dressing gown,” Matheson said.
Under re-examination the forensic scientist said she was also “very reluctant” to comment on the potential staining on the dressing gown or if Hanna had been lying down given the number of variables.
Sex worker and escort
On Wednesday morning, the court heard from two people who lived at a North Shore apartment complex. Both noted Polkinghorne’s frequent visits in his car, number plate “RETINA”, to visit a neighbour they believed to be a sex worker.
“There’d be times where you’d go out and think ‘Retina’s here’,” Rob Masters said.
“I saw him the first time he came, he was a terrible driver, terrible at parking and nearly ran into me so the first thing you do is look at the number plate,” fellow neighbour Myra Riddington said which drew a laugh from Polkinghorne.
Mansfield said it sounded like the neighbourhood watch was quite strong at the complex.
The court also heard from Detective Sergeant Lisa Anderson who said she travelled down to Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat on April 30, 2021 to execute a search warrant where Polkinghorne was staying with Sydney escort Madison Ashton. The detective seized Ashton’s phones with the escort refusing to give police her pin numbers.
DVD interview
In a small interview room hours after he told emergency services he found his wife dead, Polkinghorne detailed to a detective the days leading up to the moment he said he found his wife slouched in a chair, dead.
At points he went off on tangents about other topics, which he apologised to the detective for.
This was the first time the jury heard from Polkinghorne himself.
The eye surgeon told Detective Sergeant Ilona Walton he made Hanna breakfast in bed every day - a piece of McKenzie bread toast with Olivani margarine and Rose’s lime marmalade with a cup of French Earl Grey Tea.
On Easter Monday, he couldn’t recall the exact time he got up as he was confused with the daylight saving time, but he went downstairs and turned the jug on and put the toast in.
“For some reason or other I walked down to the other end of the house towards…I saw Pauline there and she was slouched and there was a chair there.”
He saw her dressing gown half on, half off and could see her arm was blue.
'I went over and she was cold and I knew she was dead straightaway.'
When asked about the orange rope, Polkinghorne commented at his surprise the balustrade could take weight.
'I was surprised that the balustrade would take a weight…shall we say a dead weight of 70kgs.'
Walton pointed out when she arrived at the Remuera home the rope was still hanging and tied to the balustrade.
'I could have sworn I’d taken it off,' he said.
Pauline Hanna’s own words
In the last two years before her death, Hanna had spoken openly to her family about the problems she was having with her husband. But repeatedly told them she still loved him.
During one of Hanna’s visits to the Hawke’s Bay, Bruce’s daughter recorded a conversation they were having in November 2019. That recording was played to the jury on Thursday - the first time they’ve heard Hanna’s own words.
“So he goes off and screws women when he’s away and I take a very foul view of that and he hurts me and I know he loves me.
“I know he’s such a sex fiend and he videos it and I’ve got the videos…he’s really hurt me to the extent I’ve thought why am I living with him.”
Hanna repeatedly says she loves her husband, but she questions whether she can remain with him.
“He does deserve me…I love him…I’m his brick and he is mine.”
'I am not going to put up with it until I’m 93. I’m not a doormat,' Hanna says.
Hanna explains Polkinghorne is under a lot of stress at Auckland Eye, but has never been violent with her.
“Please don’t think Philip is a beast, he’s not.”
‘Larger than life’
Clare Thompson and Margaret White both worked with Pauline Hanna in the public health sector and spoke of how she was “larger than life” and her work ethic.
'[She was] amazing, bright, capable, determined and absolutely reliable. She took hold of really tricky situations most people couldn’t, wouldn’t touch and she would see it through if something needed to be done,' White said.
White recalled a text exchange and subsequent phone call she had with Hanna in January 2020. Hanna texted her saying she couldn’t work on anything tonight as “Philip has decided to be beastly”.
The pair then talked on the phone.
'She was very upset…she just wanted me to know if anything happened. I remember those words and thinking 'heavens above'…I don’t know and there was no indication that he was being physical with her, but he was clearly…he’d become enraged,' White told Dickey.
Dickey asked if White could recall what the incident was over.
'I wish I could recall more,' White said.
'I need you to know if anything happens to me,' White recalled Hanna saying.
Under cross-examination, White was unaware Hanna had previously tried to take her own life or had made comments to others about stress at work.
The trial, which is expected to last for at least 6 weeks, before Justice Graham Lang and a jury continues on Monday.