Philip Polkinghorne trial: Pauline Hanna’s death didn’t sit right with niece

Monday, 12 August 2024

Warning: The details of this case may be distressing for some readers.

Pauline Hanna feared she wouldn’t be able to access her finances if she tried to leave Philip Polkinghorne, her niece has told a court.

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 was living a double life, he had an obsession with sex and meth and was in a covert relationship with an escort in Sydney. It argues Polkinghorne murdered Hanna before staging their home to make it look like suicide.

Polkinghorne’s defence is that Hanna had a history of mental health issues, was on medication, was exhausted by work and tragically took her own life.

The trial, now in its third week, heard first from Rose Hanna, Hanna’s niece, who recorded a conversation between her aunt, her father and mother in November 2019 where Hanna spoke about challenges in her marriage.

'This was the first indication there was something wrong,” Rose said in relation to the November 2019 recording.

Rose said she was increasingly close to her aunt in the years before her death.

'There were instances where she’d call and whispering say 'he’s on the roof’ but everything is fine and I’ll call you tomorrow',' Rose said.

In August 2020, Pauline Hanna travelled down to Tauranga to help move Polkinghorne's sister into a new home.

'Pauline had been asked to stay away for the whole weekend,' Rose said.

While Rose, her partner and Hanna were at dinner, Polkinghorne called.

Rose said Hanna became triggered.

Rose said her aunt was in tears about signing documents she didn't know about in regards to finances.

'She was crying saying she'd been incredibly naive and trusting and worried she had no money in her name anymore.'

Rose said her aunt held herself to a high standard and sitting in public in tears was rare.

Her aunt said she couldn't afford to leave Polkinghorne, but wanted to, Rose told prosecutor Brian Dickey.

Hanna told her niece Polkinghorne had the best divorce attorney in Auckland and didn't know if there was anybody who could go up against that.

Rose told her aunt she would do some research on lawyers, but Hanna later texted: 'I am sure it won't get to that. What I am first going to do is get a copy of everything when the year end accounts come through and if I have to engage someone then I will'.

After August 2020, every time Rose tried to raise the subject with Hanna, she'd change the subject.

Rose last heard from her aunt on Easter Sunday. She wished her and her brother a Happy Easter.

Rose found out her aunt had died the following day.

Under cross-examination by Polkinghorne's lawyer, Ron Mansfield KC, Rose was asked whether she knew about the financial difficulties regarding Auckland Eye.

Rose said she was aware.

'We’re going to hear accounting evidence that she had access to her own money,' Mansfield said.

'She feared she did not have access to any money,' Rose replied.

Pauline Hanna’s death ‘didn’t make sense’

The day after Rose found out her aunt had died, something wasn't sitting well with what she'd been told.

Mansfield asked Rose if she doubted that Pauline would take her own life, given what she knew of her aunt. Rose agreed.

'Didn't make sense,' Rose said.

The court heard Rose contacted the police and told the operator she knew her auntie was unhappy in her marriage, she'd last contacted her on Easter Sunday and she sounded OK.

'But you also confirmed with the police [that she] never disclosed any violence or threats of violence in the relationship?' Mansfield asked, to which Rose said was correct.

A couple of days after Hanna's death, Rose contacted family friends about her aunt's death.

'I can still hear her screaming down the phone at me,' Rose said.

But the following day the friend called back.

'Pheasant called me the next morning: 'It doesn’t make sense'… I remember sitting out in the sun thinking, 'I don’t think it makes sense either',' she said.

Late night emails

A number of Hanna’s colleagues have been asked questions about Hanna’s late night and early morning emails. A number of them said it was just what everyone was doing at the time given the Covid-19 vaccination response.

Former Auckland District Health Board chief executive Ailsa Claire said she raised these concerns with Hanna in March 2021.

Claire met with Hanna, as she did with all the leaders to check out how they were going, workloads and any issues they had.

'Pauline had been doing emails late at night and I checked out why she was doing that and indicated to her I felt like it wasn’t appropriate as she seemed to be doing long hours,' Claire said.

But Hanna said she wished to continue doing it and told Claire 'work was her happy place'.

Claire talked to Hanna at that meeting about how well she was doing.

'Everyone had a great deal of confidence in the work she was doing.'

Dickey asked Claire if she had any concerns about Hanna's welfare.

'No, quite the opposite, I felt like she was thriving in the environment.'

Sarah Prentice was Hanna’s direct manager at the time she died. Prentice said Hanna was calm in the workplace, her behaviour was no different to usual and she seemed to be in good health, both mentally and physically.

Under cross-examination, Mansfield asked if Prentice tried to encourage Hanna not to work weekends.

'That wasn’t unique to Pauline. It was something we had challenges with across all of the team…people just wanted to make sure we were on top of things all of the time,' Prentice said.

‘Phil would pay her to have sex’

Earlier on Monday, Polkinghorne’s hairdresser Paul Adriaanse gave evidence about how he met the eye surgeon through a mutual friend called Lee.

'Lee was a prostitute and Phil would pay her to have sex,' Adriaanse told prosecutor Brian Dickey.

He wasn't aware Polkinghorne had a wife until she'd died and saw the news reports.

Adriaanse said he didn't know how long Polkinghorne had been seeing Lee or how often.

Sometime after Hanna's death, Polkinghorne turned up at Adriaanse's Remuera home.

'I’d heard about the death and I asked him what the hell has happened…He was really upset, quite upset and said he didn’t know.

'I didn’t know Phil was married and I guess in a situation we were in…it didn’t come up,' Adriaanse said.

'He was visually distraught but I think he just said he’d been advised to say nothing and I should say nothing too.'

But Adriaanse told Polkinghorne if the police came to see him he had nothing to hide.

Under cross-examination, Adriaanse said he thought Hanna had killed herself.

'I never ever thought Phil had done that to Pauline.'

The trial, which is expected to last for at least 6 weeks, before Justice Graham Lang and a jury continues.