Philip Polkinghorne trial: Pauline Hanna said husband 'tried to strangle me', court hears again

Wednesday, 14 August 2024

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

Over a year before her death, Pauline Hanna told friends her husband, Philip Polkinghorne, had strangled her, the court heard on Wednesday.

It was while at a dinner with friends, a year before her death, that Hanna described to a friend how her husband had put his hands around her neck and said “I can do this any time,” the friend said, getting quite emotional.

“She took that as a real threat that he might do that to her,” Victoria Riordan, known as Pheasant, told the court.

Polkinghorne, a 71-year-old eye doctor, has denied murdering Hanna, his wife. 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.

Polkinghorne put hands around Hanna’s neck

Pheasant Riordan told prosecutor Alysha McClintock about the dinner she, her husband and their son had with Hanna in January 2020 at Malo in Havelock North.

Pheasant said Hanna had had a couple wines and “became quite agitated”.

It was at this dinner, Hanna showed the Riordan’s how Polkinghorne had put his hands around her neck.

Pheasant became quite emotional at this point and said Hanna had never shared anything about physical violence with them before.

“We knew there were problems and knew there were financial issues and knew that,” she said.

“We were really quite stressed and wanted her to leave (Polkinghorne) and then she backed away… I think she didn’t want to talk about it,” Pheasant said.

Riordan’s husband, John Riordan, also told the court about this incident.

“She said: ‘He tried to strangle me’,” John Riordan said with 100% certainty those were the words Hanna used.

“I just said to her ‘pack up your bags, you’re coming home with us’.”

Hanna told them Polkinghorne was remorseful and had told her it wouldn’t happen again.

“When she told us about the fact he’d shown great remorse I said ‘but if he’s done it to you once, he’ll do it to you again’…you see this time and time again,” John said.

After the dinner in January 2020, Pheasant sent Hanna a text.

“I wish I could take some of your pain away but you are strong and we are here for you if you run out of strong!!”

Pheasant said she sent the text as she was “really worried” after the conversation at the dinner.

“I think to have someone do that to you was so deeply disturbing,” Pheasant said.

McClintock asked if Hanna’s reassurance dealt with her concerns, Phesant said it didn’t.

“Don’t worry about me. I will be fine. As you say I am strong,” Hanna replied to Riordan in the text.

A few weeks later Riordan checked back in with her friend via text.

“Yes a good couple of weeks here as PJP is much better frame of mine which makes everyone so much nicer. His old self!” Hanna replied.

McClintock asked if this allayed Riordan's concerns.

“I think as far as physical violence, but you know we all had a concern about her relationship for a while,” she replied.

Anti-depressants and alcohol

Pheasant was asked if her friend took anti-depressants.

“I mean who doesn’t,” Riordan replied, which drew laughter from the packed public gallery.

“Sorry, yes we were aware she was taking anti-depressants,” Phesant said.

While the pair had been friends since Riordan was 17, they had times where they weren’t as close but she never perceived Hanna was unable to cope with work, she was stressed as part of her job but she never knew her to have any intention to hurt herself.

In regards to Hanna's alcohol consumption, Pheasant said there was a period of time she was concerned about Hanna's drinking, but she couldn’t place the timing.

“It wasn’t that she drank alone, maybe a couple more than everybody else had.”

Pheasant said she thought she spoke about it with Hanna, but can't recall how Hanna responded.

“But she didn’t get hostile or anything,” Pheasant said.

Ron Mansfield KC took Pheasant to her police statement after Hanna’s death, in which she said Hanna had had a drinking problem.

“As I explained before, at the time of speaking to the police my mind was a jumble, I obviously didn’t remember every qualification. My reference to Pauline drinking a lot, simply was that, doesn’t preclude the fact she significantly reduced the amount of drinking as time went on. Inference is she cut back,” Riordan replied.

Mansfield also questioned Pheasant about how she’d told police Hanna appeared “quite fragile” at her mother’s funeral.

But other than the instance at the dinner in Havelock North, Hanna didn't mention any other problems in her relationship with Polkinghorne, and Riordan never saw bruises on her friend.

Polkinghorne’s ‘aggressive’ theatre behaviour at Auckland Eye

Dr Dean Corbett is an ophthalmologist at Auckland Eye and worked with Polkinghorne from about 2000.

Corbett said Polkinghorne specialised in operating on the back of the eye, an area that carried a lot of stress.

“I saw him as incredibly hard-wording… he would drop anything to come and see a patient… I had a lot of respect for him as a professional,” Corbett said.

“He had an unusual demeanour… short fuse and intolerance to things not going well in the operating theatre.

“That was unique more to Philip than anyone. He would get very upset if there’d be something going wrong with the theatre staff performance but never a vindictive anger and always in the patient’s best interest,” Corbett said.

Corbett was chairman of the Auckland Eye board in 2018 or 2019 and called Polkinghorne to a meeting as there'd been some complaints about his aggressiveness in theatre.

He was asked by prosecutor Pip McNabb if he ever spoke to Hanna about the behaviour.

'I phoned her and explained his behaviour was a problem to the staff and felt like a risk to the staff and the company,' Corbett said.

Hanna accepted his comments and Corbett got the impression she was finding it difficult to communicate with her husband about this.

He suggested maybe seeking medical help in the way of a counsellor.

Retirement from Auckland Eye

In the time leading up to Hanna's death, Corbett said Polkinghorne's behaviour became 'increasingly different'.

'From the very early days he was known to be early to bed and early to rise. Would not uncommonly take a snooze at a dinner table late in the evening…but over that more recent period…his emotional ability was increased and seemed quite a different person and we all had our ideas as to why that might be.'

Corbett said Polkinghorne was expected to be the next to retire at Auckland Eye but there'd been a surprise exit of two doctors in 2019.

'Not something we'd anticipated as a practice….caused a lot of stress.'

Under cross-examination, Corbett was quizzed about the strain the retirement caused on Polkinghorne.

'Their departure was extremely unexpected…it created surprise to the shareholders…we were in the process of arranging a very suitable exit strategy for Dr Polkinghorne whilst engaging with people to take his place, so when we were taken by surprise by the sudden departure of two specialist… there was a a real threat the way the company could manage the situation,' Corbett said.

'We were in the process of arranging the most suitable equitable way and were looking forward to celebrating his retirement when the departure of the two specialists shook the planning strategy,' Corbett said.

Mansfield asked if Polkinghorne was offered about $450,000 on his retirement from Auckland Eye. Corbett said he didn't recall the figure.

The two specialists who left before him received about $650k.

Corbett also told the jury at a shareholders meeting after Hanna’s death he became aware Polkinghorne had disclosed to Dr Sue Ormonde he’d been using methamphetamine. It was reported to the Medical Council, Corbett said.

Supposed suicide note

Alison Ring was the first witness called for the Crown on Wednesday and spoke about her friendship of 30 years with the couple and how Hanna was “excited” about a trip they were about to go on to the the South Island the week Hanna died.

Shortly after Polkinghorne was charged with murder, he turned up to Ring’s home and showed her a supposed suicide note. Ring said it was bizarre.

“That’s not the type of suicide note I’d be expecting from Pauline,” Ring said.

After Hanna's death, the Ring's supported Polkinghorne, she said.

'We always had an open home and said he could come anytime,' Ring said.

On one visit, Polkinghorne told her methamphetamine had been found at the house and it was Hanna’s.

'I looked at him and said: ‘you expect me to believe that? Because I don’t',' Ring said.

On another visit, Polkinghorne told Ring about how he'd been found by police down in 'some luxury lodge' with Sydney escort Madison Ashton.

A police officer previously told the court they executed a search warrant down in Mt Cook on April 30, 2021.

'I found that devastating as his wife had only been dead a few weeks.'

But the 'biggest upset' for Ring was when Polkinghorne came around to her home after he'd been charged with his wife’s murder.

'He bought a little piece of paper as I'd always said I couldn't believe Pauline didn't leave any suicide note…she left notes for everything,' Ring said.

Ring said Polkinghorne said 'she did leave me a suicide note' and showed her a small piece of paper with the words to the effect of 'Dear P, I love you forever, from P'.

'That’s not the type of suicide note I’d be expecting from Pauline,' Ring said.

She asked Polkinghorne why didn't the police have it and he said he'd found it in some bedding in the bedroom.

Ring said she had many sleepless nights about the note and disagreed under cross-examination that perhaps Polkinghorne didn’t say it was a suicide note and just a note he’d found.

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