Philip Polkinghorne murder trial live updates: Niece Pauline Hannah discussed divorce months before death

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT

Seven months ago Pauline Hannah dies On what It was quickly seen as a suspicious situationshe told her niece that she wanted help finding a divorce lawyer but was worried she might not be able to afford the fees because she suspected her husband, Philip Polkinghorne, had cheated her out of their share of the money.

Rose Hannah, who spoke to police about her aunt’s death within a day of learning of her death, was speaking at a news conference today. Auckland High Court As the third week begins Lemuel Ophthalmologist’s high-profile murder trial.

“What my dad told me (that her death was a suicide) was unconscionable, it just didn’t make sense,” Rose Hanna said of her decision to call police and give a statement early in the case.

Polkinghorne, 71, wasn’t charged until nearly a year and a half after that phone call. Prosecutors say he strangled his 63-year-old wife — who may have been high on meth and arguing with him about finances — on the morning of April 5, 2021, then hung herself in a staged suicide. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers insist that Hannah died of depression, coupled with the pressure of promoting a coronavirus vaccine.

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Rose Hanna was responsible for secretly recording her aunt’s Last week, her aunt staged a drama in front of the jury, describing Polkinghorne as a philandering “sex fiend” and “angry man”. Hannah had bullied her emotionally but she still loved her very much. Little Hannah explained today that the recording was made in November 2019 because the family was dividing her grandmother’s belongings that night and she decided to record it instead of typing it because she didn’t have a laptop. She explained that the phone kept recording as the topic of the conversation changed.

Witnesses today recalled that nine months later, in August 2020, Pauline Hanna met up with her niece at a restaurant in Tauranga to celebrate Rose Hanna’s birthday.

She told jurors today: “That’s when she was most open and honest.”

Rose Hanna said that during the meal, her aunt received a call from the defendant and asked her husband, “Is Sharon with you?”

After the call, the niece said she asked who Sharon was.

“Indeed,” she recalled her aunt responding. “I wonder if she lives at (Remuera’s)… and if I’m being sent away because of that.”

Pauline Hannah went on to explain how she contacted a private investigator “to find out once and for all if her husband had been unfaithful”. But the niece recalled that given the expense of being asked to monitor the house and spy on her husband, she decided to do it herself.

“She cried and said she had been very naive and trusting and was worried she had no money to her name,” Rose Hannah said.

She said her aunt told her that during lockdown, Polkinghorne had asked her to sign a pile of financial documents, suggesting it would be easier to invest assets if they were all owned by the same person. But now she is suspicious of her husband’s motives, Rose Hannah recalled her aunt explaining.

“She was scared she wouldn’t have her assets,” Rose Hannah said, explaining that her aunt was usually calm but it was unusual for her to cry in the restaurant.

Pauline Hannah then asked her niece for help in finding a divorce lawyer, Rose Hannah recalled.

There had been talk of not selling the family property in Hawke’s Bay because Pauline Hanna might move there if necessary, but her niece said she didn’t see herself leaving Auckland any time soon given the job she loved.

She said: “She wouldn’t just abandon him like that.”

The following Monday after the call, Rose Hanna sent her aunt a text message that jurors saw, including information about a divorce attorney and the cost of an initial consultation.

“Thank you!!!” Pauline Hanna replied. “I’m sure it won’t come to that. The first thing I’ll do is get a copy of all the accounts once they come out at the year end and if we have to hire someone I will.”

Rose Hannah said that in the months between that August conversation and her aunt’s death the following April, her aunt never opened up as much as she did then.

“Whenever I brought it up, she would tell me everything was fine and there was really nothing to say,” she explained. “She always comforted me. I think she was embarrassed that I knew so much.”

Rose Hannah said the last text she received from her aunt was just after 8pm the night before emergency services were called to the Polkinghorne home. It was a normal text from her aunt wishing her a happy Easter. She explained it was normal for her aunt to always text her on long holiday weekends, whether it was Easter or Anzac Day.

Prosecutors also called a Remuera resident who cut Polkinghorne’s hair to the stand this morning. The barber revealed a relationship between Polkinghorne and a mutual friend, a prostitute. It was the third relationship with a prostitute jurors were told of.

Paul Adrians said in brief testimony that he did not know his client was married until he read about his death in the media.

“He was obviously very distraught,” he recalled of a posthumous discussion with Polkinghorne, explaining that Polkinghorne did not reveal many details. “I think he was just advised not to say anything, and I shouldn’t say anything either.”

He recalled responding, “I have nothing to hide, so I’m not going to lie.”

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Ron Mansfield KC said his client was only speaking on general legal advice not to discuss the case with any potential witnesses. Mansfield said that also explained why Polkinghorne never returned for a haircut after that conversation.

“It’s not because of your hairstyle, you can rest assured,” the lawyer said in a brief moment of levity in court.

Testimony will continue before Judge Graham Lang and the jury this afternoon.

Captain Craig is a reporter based in Oakland covering courts and judicial affairs. He joined The Herald He took up the position in 2021 and has covered court news since 2002 from three newsrooms in the United States and New Zealand.

this The Herald will be covering the case in a daily podcast, Defendant: Polkinghorne CaseYou can follow the podcast at Love Radio, Apple Podcasts, Spotifypass front page feed, or wherever you get your podcasts.