Death of Pauline Hanna

Pauline Kay Hanna (21 February 1958 – April 2021) was a New Zealand woman who was found dead in her home in Remuera, Auckland that she shared with her husband, Philip Polkinghorne, on 5 April 2021. The circumstances of her death attracted significant media attention after Polkinghorne was accused of murdering her and staging the death as suicide by hanging.^[2] On 23 September 2024, Polkinghorne was acquitted following an eight week-long murder trial at the Auckland High Court.^[4][5]

Pauline Kay Hanna was born on 21 February 1958, and was raised on a farm in Havelock North, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. She studied at the University of Otago and received a master's degree in business administration.^[1]

At the time of her death on 5 April 2021, Hanna was married to eye specialist Philip Polkinghorne. She was also as an executive project director at the Counties Manukau District Health Board,^[6] where she had worked in several roles since 1998. She also lead Auckland's COVID-19 supply chain at the time of her death.^[7] The couple met through work with Hanna becoming step-mother to Polkinghorne's three children from his first marriage. According to Polkinghorne, Hanna had a good relationship with her step-children and had a grandson.^[8]

The defendant Philip Polkinghorne was a trained vitreoretinal surgeon, medical retina specialist and cataract surgeon. He also worked as a consultant an Auckland Eye and served as an Associate Professor at the University of Auckland's Department of Ophthalmology. He was also a visiting lecturer at the University of Otago. In addition, Polkinghorne was involved in several international and national learned societies and professional bodies including the Oxford Congress, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Retinal Specialists, the Oceania Retinal Association, the Asian Vitreoretinal Advisor Group, the Oceania Retinal Association and the Australian and New Zealand Retinal Specialists Association. By 2014, he had published over 50 academic papers, edited 50 papers, edits ophthalmology journals and reviewed several international journals.^[9]

Before marrying Hanna, Polkinghorne had an earlier marriage which produced three sons named Taine, Ben and John Polkinghorne.^[10] His first wife divorced him in 1991 due to Polkinghorne having an extramarital affair. The two shared custody over their three children.^[11]

According to Polkinghorne, Hanna had worked through the 2021 Easter holiday weekend but the couple were able to spend time together on Easter Sunday (4 April). The couple visited Highland Park where Hanna visited a vaccination station before having lunch together and returning to their Upland Road home in Auckland's Remuera suburb. Polkinghorne also said that the couple had dinner together before watching television. Before going to bed, Polkinghorne also said that Hanna had helped him to write a letter. According to The New Zealand Herald, Hanna was still sending work emails at 10pm on Sunday night.^[8]

On 5 April 2021, Polkinghorne said that he had found his wife Pauline Hanna dead in the early hours of the morning. While preparing to make her breakfast at 7:00 am, Polkinghorne said that he found Hanna dead.^[8] Polkinghorne's sister said that she and Polkinghorne had found Hanna on the ground covered by a duvet. There were two pieces of rope hanging from the balustrade and the staircase. Polkinghorne late told Hato Hone St John emergency responder Hannah Matheson that a 111 operator had told him to "cut her down." According to Matheson, Polkinghorne said that his wife was suffering from depression but was unaware of what medications she took. Matheson also noticed that Polkinghorne had a fresh graze on his forehead, which he said he was unaware of.^[12]

During an interview with The Weekend Herald published on 10 April, Polkinghorne denied there were problems with their marriage and said that he was unaware of her state of mind at the time. He also suggested that Hanna was affected by her mother's death six weeks earlier. Polkinghorne also said that he "believed she was overworked but she was extremely highly regarded by her work colleagues." Polkinghorne also ruled out an intruder entering their home. He described the loss of his wife as "insurmountable" and describe their relationship as "perfect." Pokinghorne also told The Herald that Police were treating him as a person of interest.^[8] On 15 April, Hanna's funeral was held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell, which was attended by her family, friends and colleagues including her husband Polkinghorne.^[7]

Shortly after arriving at the house, police detective constable Christian Iogha performed a "tension check" on the orange nylon rope tied to the handrail at top of the stairs that Hanna had allegedly hung herself with, to confirm that it could handle the weight of a body. He gently tugged the rope, and it quickly began unravelling. Detective Ilona Walton, who witnessed the check, later testified that "it seemed unusual and not normal that the rope would unravel in that manner", and she informed her sergeant.^[13] Iogha examined the rope again and became suspicious after noticing that it had not been pulled to the base of the handrail by Hanna's weight during the suicide. Polkinghorne, who was giving a statement to the police in the house, was asked to continue outside so that the scene would not be contaminated.^[14][15]

Soon after the test was conducted, police decided to treat the case as suspicious.^[15] Polkinghorne was taken to be questioned at the Auckland Central Police Station, where Walton conducted a three-hour interview with him. During the interview, he recounted finding Hanna's body and repeatedly spoke off-topic.^[16] The New Zealand Police remained at the home for nine days,^[17] performing forensic searches and extensively sampling for DNA and stains found in the house.^[18] Hanna's bedroom was found dishevelled, with what appeared to be a blood stain on the bed, though no evidence was found that her body had been moved from the room to the spot it was initially found.^[19] Police found a drug pipe, lighter, and 37.7 grams of methamphetamine throughout the house, with Polkinghorne's DNA found on the containers.^[20] They also found a belt in the kitchen with a pattern that corresponded with the distinctive markings found on Hanna's neck.^[17]

On 6 April, Dr. Kilak Kesha performed a post-mortem examination on Hanna. He observed several injuries on her body, including abrasions on her nose and back,^[21] haemorrhages on her face and fresh bruises on her arm that he believed indicated she had been grabbed. Ligature marks were found on her neck. Her tongue was protruding, which he noted often happened during hanging suicides.^[22] A low level of alcohol^[21] and high amounts of unprescribed zopiclone sleeping pills were also found in her system.^[23] From the examination, he determined that Hanna had died as a result of strangulation, though was unable to determine whether or not the death was self-inflicted.^[21]

In May 2021, Police confirmed that traces of methamphetamine had been found at the couple's Upland Road residence. By April 2022, the Police confirmed that detectives had interviewed several of Polkinghorne's associates including a masseuse and a barber. Newshub also reported that Hanna had hired a private investigator prior to her death, and that Polkinghorne had been in a relationship with an Australian escort named Madison Ashton for several years. Ashton and Polkinghorne had first met in 2011 in Sydney. While their professional relationship had initially involved Hanna, it had developed into a personal one by 2017. Ashton was unaware that Polkinghorne was still married to Hanna at the time of her death.^[24]

Ahston later told The New Zealand Herald and Stuff that Police had raided her and Polkinghorne while the two were staying at the Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat on 30 April 2021. During the raid, Detective Sergeant Lisa Anderson had demanded access to two phones that Ashton owned but she had refused to give them the codes. Police subsequently gained access to the phones' data through other means. Due to her perceived adverse treatment by the Police, Ashton refused to appear as a Crown witness at Polkinghorne's trial.^[25][26] Ashton ignored a summons from the New Zealand Police and Australian law enforcement, who subsequently sought help from Interpol. During the duration of the trial, Ashton travelled to Europe.^[26]

Polkinghorne was formally charged with the murder of Hanna in August 2022, sixteen months after her death in April 2021. He made his first court appearance in the Auckland District Court on 16 August, and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was released on bail by Judge Andrea Manuel whilst awaiting his trial.^[27] He made an appearance at the Auckland High Court on 31 August, and his trial was scheduled.^[28]

His trial began on 29 July 2024 at the Auckland High Court,^[29] before Justice Graham Lang and a jury.^[3] His lawyer in the trial was Ron Mansfield KC, and the prosecutor was Crown Law Office solicitor Alysha McClintock.^[30][31] The prosecution case was that Polkinghorne's marriage to Hanna had deteriorated, and he had strangled her and staged the death as a suicide. McClintock argued in her opening statement that he was spending considerable amounts of money on sex workers and methamphetamine, the latter of which had made him behave aggressively and angrily. The defence counter-argued that Hanna had made previous suicide attempts and struggled with mental health issues, and that her death was a suicide. Mansfield argued that the couple's relationship was stable, and that Polkinghorne's use of methamphetamine was "casual". He pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine and a pipe, but denied murdering Hanna.^[30] During the first day of the trial, the Court also heard the 111 call made by Polkinghorne that alerted emergency authorities to her death.^[32]

On 30 July, the court heard testimony from St John emergency medical technician Hannah Matheson, who testified that Hanna was deceased when emergency services arrived at the Polkinghorne home. A woman identified as Polkinghorne's sister had told emergency responders that they would not need oxygen. Matheson recalled finding Hanna on the ground covered by a duvet. She also spotted a piece of rope hanging from a balustrade and a second piece on a staircase. Matheson said that Polkinghorne had cut Hanna down at the request of the 111 operator. She recalled that Polkinghorne seemed calm and did not appear distressed.^[33] That same day, the court heard testimony from several Police officers including Constables Alexander Rowland, Max Jones and Detective Constable Brooke Everson. Rowland testified that Polkinghorne had told Police that Hanna was depressed and had been regularly consuming alcohol and anti-depressive medicines. Jones testified that Police found no sign of force entry or a suicide note while Everson found blood and bruising on Hanna's body.^[34]

On 31 July, the court heard testimony about the orange rope found hanging from the balustrade and a detailed account of the scene examination of the couple's Remuera residence. Police also detailed what they had found at the residence and the tests done on the rope found at the crime scene.^[32] On 1 August, the court heard testimony from a police sergeant who had examined Hanna's bedroom. While his scene examination found no sign of the body being moved, he noted the dishevelled state of the room and a suspected blood stain on the bed, which the Crown argued showed signs of a struggle. Defence lawyer Mansfield questioned the police sergeant to confirm whether there had been no signs of a struggle in Hanna's bedroom. Canadian forensic rope and knot analyst Robert Chisnall also testified that the rope found tied to the balustrades appeared to be "too long and too insecure to suspend any weight."^[35][32]

On 2 August, the court was shown photos and footage of Hanna's last known movements including a visit to the Enviro NZ Onehunga recycling station. Court proceedings were temporarily interrupted by a power outage.^[36][32] Sergeant Christian Iogha also detailed the various medications that Hanna took including fluoxetine, a common anti-depressant. The court also heard testimony from forensic scientist Fiona Matheson, who had identified and analysed several suspected bloodstains found in the couple's Remuera home.^[36]

On 5 August, defence lawyer Mansfield cross-examined forensic scientist Fiona Matheson, who had been instructed by Police to conduct the scene examination on the basis of a homicide. Matheson defended her scene examination, saying that she had considered the possibilities of it being either a murder or suicide.^[37]

On 6 August, the court heard testimony from Stephen MacIntyre, a family friend of the couple. MacIntyre testified about changes to Polkinghorne's physique and personality leading up to Hanna's death. He also told the court about Polkinghorne's involvement in a ute accident in early September 2020.^[38] That same day, forensic scientist Helen Poulsen, who had analysed blood and urine samples taken from Hanna, testified that there was no evidence that Hanna had used methamphetamine in the six months prior to her death. Poulsen confirmed that several medications including Zopiclone, fluoxetine and phentermine had been found alongside alcohol in her blood.^[39] The court also heard forensice scientist Nicholas Curnow testify that DNA samples matching Polkinghorne had been found on Hanna's neck. Curnow also tested the meth pipe found under Polkinghorne's bed.^[40]

On 7 August, the court heard testimony from the couple's personal trainer, Barry Payne. Payne testified that Hanna had suspected that Polkinghorne had a girlfriend. He also told the court that Polkinghorne had been distraught following the death of his wife.^[41] That same day, the jury was played a police interview video between Detective Ilona Walton and Polkinghorne that had been conducted on the day of Hanna's death. Polkinghorne recounted how he had found his deceased wife and was visibly distraught during the interview.^[42]

On 8 August, the jury watched a police interview video in which Detective Walton asked Polkinghorne if the scene examination could continue at his home. At that time, she did not tell Polkinghorne that he was under police suspicion but that he was being interviewed as a witness. During cross-examination, Mansfield questioned Walton why the defendant had not been advised he was under suspicion during the initial police interview.^[43] Later that afternoon, the court heard testimony from Hanna's brother Bruce Hanna, who told the court that his sister had an unhappy relationship with the defendant and believed that Polkinghorne was pushing Hanna into group sex activities. The jury was also played a video recorded by Bruce's daughter in which Hanna expressed her disapproval of her husband's extramarital affairs but defended her husband from her relatives' criticisms. When cross-examined by Mansfield, Bruce admitted her was unaware of his sister's prescriptions or suicide attempt following her father's death.^[44] Mansfield also submitted medical records of Hanna's visit to a Remuera clinic in 2004 which recorded that she had been referred for specialist treatment due to her severe depression and relationship strife with Polkinghorne's children.^[45]

On 9 August, the jury visited the couple's multimillion Remuera home under the supervision of Sergeant Christian Iogha, court security and the registrar. The Auckland High Court issued strict instructions that no questions be asked and that no oral evidence be provided. The jury also viewed the home's laundry. In addition, Crown prosecutors Alysha McClintock, Brian Dickey, Pip McNabb, Defence counsel Rob Mansfield KC, junior defence counsel Harrison Smith, Judge Justice Graham Lang and his assistant toured the home. Media were not allowed to enter the house.^[46] Later that afternoon, the court heard testimony from several friends of Hanna including work colleague Clare Thompson and Margaret White, who testified about Hanna's unhappiness with Polkinghorne's "sexual appetite," infidelity and financial strife between the couple, which had been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand and financial losses at Polkinghorne's business Auckland Eye. Mansfield claimed that Hanna had once participated in a consensual group sex activity.^[47]

On 12 August, Hanna's niece Rose Hanna testified that Pauline had told her that she was facing financial difficulties including a lack of retirement funds. Hanna also told Rose that she did not have enough money to leave her marriage to Polkinghorne and alleged that the defendant had acquired Hanna's money for investment purposes.^[48] That same day, Polkinghorne's former hairdresser Paul Adriaanse was cross-examined by both the Crown and defence teams.^[49]

On 13 August, the court heard testimony from pathologist Kilak Kesham, who had conducted the post-mortem of Hanna's body. Kesham told the court that he found small bruises on Hanna's eyelids and face. He observed that Hanna had a protruding tongue, which is consistent with hangings.^[50]

On 14 August, the court heard testimony from Alison Ring, a close friend of the couple. Ring told the court that Polkinghorne had showed her a supposed suicide note from Hanna and that Hanna had wanted to leave Polkinghorne after discovering his extramarital affairs. Another witness Victoria (Pheasant) Riordan testified that Polkinghorne had a "controlling" relationship over Hanna.^[51] On 15 August, Riordan questioned the sincerity of Polkinghorne's grief following his wife's death.^[52]

On 16 August, the court heard evidence about Hanna's medical history from a general practitioner, whose identity was suppressed. The doctor confirmed that Hanna had been prescribed fluxotine since 2001 and consumed two glasses of wine per night by 2019. The witness confirmed that Hanna had been seeking a psychiatrist and specialists to address her alcoholism. When cross-examined by defence lawyer Hannah Stuart, the doctor said that Hanna "most likely" had an alcohol dependence.^[53]

On 20 August, the court heard testimony from Deborah Boyd, the chief executive of Auckland Eye, where Polkinghorne worked. She testified that the defendant regularly fell asleep at board meetings and once behaved aggressively during a Zoom meeting in 2021. Boyd also told the court that a methamphetamine pipe had been found in the workplace's consult room in 2020. Polkinghorne had earlier pleaded guilty to methamphetamine use and possessing a pipe.^[54] The court also heard that Auckland Eye had conducted an internal investigation to determine the pipe's ownership after Police declined to investigate the matter. This internal investigation included hiring a drug testing agency to condentially test the Auckland Eye rooms near where the pipe had been found in July 2021, nine months after its discovery.^[55]

On 21 August, the Police forensic accountant Margaret Skilton detailed an analysis of Polkinghorne's financial transactions before Hanna's death. Skilton testified that the defendant had sent a total of NZ$106,131 to Sydney-based escort Madison Ashton up to 5 January 2021 in several transactions. The court also heard that Pokinghorne and Hanna shared a joint bank account, with their assets totalling NZ$10.5 million. During cross-examination, defence lawyer Mansfield testified that Hanna had used the bank account for everyday expenses and her personal use and had made no payments to private investigators and matrimonial lawyers.^[56]

On 22 August, Mansfield told the court that Hanna had spent a total of $33,745 in 2019 and $39,225 in 2020 for personal use including clothes, beauty products, hair and dry cleaning.^[57] That same day, Police constable Madeline Palmer read a document which Hanna had emailed to herself on 5 January 2020. In the email, Hanna denied Polkinghorne's contention that she was not contributing to their financial bills.^[58]

On 23 August, the court heard addiction specialist psychiatrist Emma Schwarcz explain the physical and mental effects of methamphetamine consumption. Schwarcz testified that methamphetamine consumption elevated the risk of violence.^[59] That same day, the court heard testimony about the contents of Hanna and Polkinghorne's personal laptops. The court heard that Hanna had made a Google search asking "why do people trample over me?" in April 2021. This included visits to Alcoholics Anonymous' website and saving documents about dealing with extra-marital affairs. Defence lawyer Mansfield cross-examined constable Palmer about whether she could be certain that the searches were related to Hanna's relationship with Polkinghorne or relationships with co-workers and extended family.^[60]

That same day, Police detective Andrew Reeves testified that Polkinghorne had searched for information about strangulation on the search engine Duck Duck Go on 6 April 2021. Reeves also testified that the defendant had deleted his WhatsApp messages leading up to 5 April 2021, which aroused Police suspicion. Reeves also told the court that Polkinghorne had sought to delete his iCloud storage after being interviewed by Police on 5 April. The defendant subsequently deleted his phone call logs on 8 April, three days after Hanna's death. Police also found photos of a meth pipe and nudity on several USB flash drives belonging to Polkinghorne. Police also found that Polkinghorne regularly communicated with Sydney escort Madison Ashton. Defence lawyer Mansfield also read a document from Hanna's laptop expressing unhappiness with her marriage.^[61]

On 26 August, Detective Andrew Reeves told the court that Hanna had searched for the terms "anorgasnia" [sic] and "asphyxia" on her iPhone 8 in late December 2019. He also said that the Police analysis of her phone had not uncovered searches in relation to suicide and self-harm. Reeves also told the court that Hanna had contacted a mental health support team on 23 December 2019 and had also searched for apartments for sale in Napier.^[62] On 27 August, the court continued hearing Reeves' examination of Hanna's electronic devices and emails. Mansfield cross-examined Reeves, who outlined Hanna's busy work routine. He criticised Reeves for not writing a detailed report on the messages between Polkinghorne and Hanna, and instead focusing on the defendant's relationship with Ahston. Mansfield also suggested that Polkinghorne had made several searches related to strangulation on Duck Duck Go because Police were treating him as a potential suspect.^[63]

On 28 August, Mansfield cross-examined detective senior sergeant Chris Allan on whether he had instructed a forensic expert to treat the scene with a "homicide focus" following Hanna's death on 6 April 2021. Allan defended his decision to treat the case as a suspected homicide but insisted he approached it with an open mind. Mansfield also questioned Allan's decision to examine the scene until 15 April.^[64] That same day, Allan told the court that Police had intercepted Polinghorne's phone for 21 days commencing 6 April 2021, using a Allan said a search surveillance device warrant. In one intercepted call, the defendant called pathologist Rexon Tse to ask for a second autopsy. The court also heard testimony from the Crown's final witness Jun Lee, a Police digital forensic expert who had analysed background data from Hanna's iPhone.^[65]

On 30 August, Mansfield gave his opening addressed and confirmed that Polkinghorne would not be giving testimony. The defendant was accompanied by his sister Ruth Polkinghorne and three adult sons. Several members of Hanna's family also attended the trial including her brother Bruce Hanna and sister Tracey Hanna.^[10] That same day, the court heard testimony from the first defence witness Tracey. She told the court that Hanna had attempted suicide in the early 1990s following the death of her father. In addition the court heard testimony from from Polkinghorne's first wife, who told the court that the defendant had never threatened or use violence against her.^[11]

During the seventh week of the trial, Justice Graham Lang discharged a juror on 12 September due to an upcoming personal commitment that could not be changed. The remaining 11 jurors consisted of eight women and three men.^[66]

On 13 September, the defence questioned their two final witnesses academic psychiatrist David Menkes and mental health expert Dr Sarah Hetrick, who argued that Hanna's alcohol use disorder and medication contributed to her suicidal thoughts. The defence has argued that Hanna had committed suicide.^[67]

On 17 September, the Crown prosecutor Alysha McClintock concluded the Crown's case, arguing that Polkinghorne had murdered Hanna. She cited Hanna's previous injuries to her nose and head, and bruises on her arm. McClintock also reiterated the Crown's evidence that Hanna had told a friend that Polkinghorne had attempted to strangle her in January 2020.^[68]

Following an eight week trial, the 11-member jury acquitted Polkinghorne of Pauline Hanna's murder on 23 September 2024. Polkinghorne welcomed his acquittal, stating "Today's outcome is a huge turning point in our lives. This process has taken a massive toll on so many of us."^[4] Crown prosecutor Alysha McClintock stated that she respected the verdict the jury had reached in a "difficult case" and confirmed that the Crown would not be appealing the case. Detective Chris Allan said that the Police thanked the jury and Hanna's family, and said that the case would be subject to a coronial inquest. Several relatives and friends of Hanna including Bruce Hanna and John Riordan expressed disappointment with the verdict but said they respected the court process.^[5]

Polkinghorne's former mistress Madison Ashton, who had refused to testify at the trial as a Crown witness, expressed disagreement with Polkinghorne's acquittal and said that she had been "praying for a guilty verdict." She subsequently told Stuff and The New Zealand Herald that she would have been willing to "wear a wire to help gather evidence" had law enforcement authorities treated her with "respect." Ashton claimed that Polkinghorne had lied to her about being divorced from Hanna.^[26][25]

In mid-August 2024, the Suicide Prevention Office, the Mental Health Foundation, University of Auckland director of population mental health Dr Sarah Fortune and the University of Melbourne's Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing expressed concerns that extensive media coverage of the Polkinghorne murder trial could lead to an increase risk in suicide attempts and self harm. In response, Justice Lang said that the Auckland High Court did not have the power to dictate how accredited media covered the court proceedings.^[69]

In late September 2024, the veteran documentary-maker Mark McNeill confirmed that he was working on a documentary about the Polkinghorne murder trial.^[70]