Cash and sex: What forensic accountant found in Polkinghorne’s spending

Wednesday, 21 August 2024

In Philip Polkinghorne's trial for his wife Pauline Hanna's murder, unsettling details emerge. Witnesses describe a troubled relationship, while Polkinghorne's drug use and sex life come under scrutiny. Stuff's Catrin Owen reports for ThreeNews.

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

In the years leading up to his wife’s death, eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne transferred nearly $300,000 to six different women - three of which were sex workers, including high-profile Sydney escort Madison Ashton.

He also made cash withdrawals totalling nearly $241,000 in New Zealand. Meanwhile, four months before his wife’s death, Pauline Hanna opened a bank account and took out two loans for $2000 - the money was spent on petrol, groceries, clothing and other personal spending.

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, 2021.

The trial is under way at the High Court in Auckland, where on Wednesday the focus has been on the analysis of Polkinghorne and Hanna’s bank accounts.

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.

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

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. Ahead of the trial, he pleaded guilty to methamphetamine charges.

Sydney escort Madison Ashton received $106,000

A forensic accountant working for the police, Margaret Skilton, told prosecutor Brian Dickey on Tuesday she analysed Polkinghorne and Hanna’s bank accounts, and observed a number of repeat payments made by Polkinghorne.

On Wednesday, Dickey asked if Skilton established, during her investigation, that the recipients were all females.

“I produced this information to the investigation team and they provided that feedback in a general sense,” Skilton replied.

Skilton said repeat payments were made to Madison Ashton from February 2019. The court has previously heard she is a high-profile escort and was in a covert relationship with Polkinghorne.

In the years leading up to his wife’s death, eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne transferred nearly $300k to six different woman - three of which were sex workers, including high-profile Sydney escort Madison Ashton.

“My investigation revealed transfers totalling $106,130.91 to Ms Ashton and the last payment was the 5th of January 2021,” Skilton told prosecutor Brian Dickey.

From February 2018 to February 2019 there were also about 120 cash withdrawals in Australia totalling $115,000 connected to one of Polkinghorne’s accounts.

“I did find it interesting there was so many withdrawals made in Australia,” Skilton said.

The forensic accountant said when Polkinghorne began transferring money to Ashton, the cash withdrawals ceased, but there was some cross over.

She sought travel records and found Polkinghorne was in Australia for part of the time the cash withdrawals were happening, but not the whole period.

Cash withdrawals and $500 a week to sex worker

In regards to one of the bank accounts solely held by Polkinghorne, the forensic accountant said she noticed a “significant number” of cash withdrawals from the account.

Sordid details heard during Philip Polkinghorne murder trial continues.

Skilton said she looked for patterns and noticed a regular weekly payment of $500 to a family trust account from February 2019 through to June 2019 and then in July 2019 the payment was altered to $350 per week and stopped in March 2021. In total, that person received $61,800 from Polkinghorne’s bank account.

The name connected to the trust account has previously come up in evidence. Two people who live at a North Shore apartment complex told the court of frequently seeing a white Mercedes with the number plate “RETINA” visit the complex in the 12-18 months before April 2021.

They met Polkinghorne and said they understood him to be visiting a woman living in their complex who was a sex worker.

Skilton said she looked into the trust and the woman was listed as the appointee, settler and trustee. She was also provided with an unsigned trust deed which said Polkinghorne would become a trustee.

Polkinghorne also transferred a total of $35,905 to another woman called Lee, who is believed to be a sex worker. Those payments stopped in July 2019.

“Lee was a prostitute and Phil would pay her to have sex,” Polkinghorne’s hairdresser Paul Adriaanse previously told the court.

The Upland Rd home in Remuera where Philip Polkinghorne and Pauline Hanna lived.

Three other women also received thousands of dollars worth of money transferred from Polkinghorne’s account.

Skilton also said Polkinghorne was withdrawing significant amounts of cash each year.

'The amount had increased over time, total and weekly average - illustrates how much cash he was disposing of on an average week,' she said.

Skilton then established the net worth of the couple through the value of their assets.

She estimated via the website OneRoof, the Remuera property was worth $5.17m and the Rings Beach property in the Coromandel was worth $1.935m, she then calculated the personal bank accounts and trusts.

Skilton estimated the couple were worth just shy of $10.5m.

Under cross-examination, Mansfield asked Skilton if she was aware under New Zealand law if a couple, who had been together as long as Polkinghorne and Hanna, decided to separate, no matter what names the various assets were held in, given the length of their marriage, the assets would be split 50/50. Skilton agreed.

The trial before Justice Graham Lang and a jury continues.