July 30, 2024 • 12 mins
Warning: This podcast contains disturbing content.
The second day of the trial focused on those who first attended the scene where Pauline Hanna's body was found.
Was Philip Polkinghorne reasonably calm on the morning of his wife’s death or just composed and trying to help?
Was the injury on his forehead a scratch, graze, scrape, or cut?
How was Pauline Hanna’s body found - and what injuries did she have?
And why, by late morning, before a statement was even given, did Police deem the scene suspicious?
You can listen to episodes of Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial through The Front Page podcast feed, or find it on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
This series is presented and produced by, Chelsea Daniels, with producer Ethan Sills and sound engineer Paddy Fox.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Kiota. I'm Chelsea Daniels and from the team behind the
front page the New Zealand Herald's daily news podcast, This
Is Accused the polking Horn Trial. Over the next six weeks,
in conjunction with our usual daily episodes, we'll be bringing
you regular coverage as one of the most high profile
trials of the year makes its way through the High
(00:30):
Court at Auckland. A warning, this podcast contains disturbing content.
Was Philip Polkinghorn reasonably calm on the morning of his
wife's death or just composed and trying to help? Was
the injury on his forehead a scratch, a graze, scrape
(00:51):
or a cut? How is Pauline Hannah's body found and
what injuries did she have? And why by late morning,
before a statement was even given, did police deem the
scene suspicious. Those who first attended the scene where Pauline
Hannah's body was found have given evidence On day two
(01:13):
of the trial of the former Auckland eye surgeon accused
of murdering his wife. Polkinghorn maintains she took her own life.
He told police she was on antidepressants, she was stressed
about her work with the then COVID vaccination roll out
she was involved in overseeing. She'd been planning a holiday,
a four We'll drive trip in the South Island with friends.
(01:37):
This morning's testimony painted a picture of how Polkinghorn says
he found his wife's body on the morning of April fifth,
twenty twenty one, Easter Monday, and the last time he
says he saw his wife alive. In his first police statement,
he detailed the night before, the pair had a drink
or two in their upstairs library and she cooked dinner.
(02:00):
Wineglass with lipstick on it was seen by an officer.
They watched a few episodes of New Amsterdam on Netflix
together before going to bed for the night around ten pm.
Hannah had organized to go to the gym the next
day around nine am. They'd been sleeping in separate rooms.
He got up early about seven forty five to make breakfast,
(02:21):
tea and toast. He used another stairwell to get to
the kitchen, the closest to the master bedroom he was
sleeping in the night before, and after that he went
to go upstairs via another staircase, and that's when he
finds his wife slumped leaning forward in a chair with
a belt around her neck. Paramedics have told the court
(02:46):
it was clear Pauline Hannah was dead. She was found
in the entrance way of the home, covered with a
douvet and a pillow under her head. Saint John paramedic
Hannah Matheson was one of the first ambulance members at
the Upland Road scene. She told Brian Dickie as she
was asking him questions about the morning's events, he seemed calm.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Did he say anything about the patient, that he knew
that she was dead?
Speaker 3 (03:12):
And yeah, that she was his wife?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
And how did he appear at this time when you
were speaking with.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
Him reasonably calm? Wasn't crying, didn't seem distressed, was answering
our questions appropriately. Yeah, gave full name and date of birth.
Said that the patient had depression, but was unaware of
(03:39):
the names of any medications that the patient took.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
He said the patient had depression.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
That he.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Did he just say just that or did he say
more than that to describe?
Speaker 3 (03:51):
But I can only recall him saying that.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
She heard Polkinghorn calling Hannah's workplace to tell them she
wasn't going into work that day.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
How was he when he was on the phone talking
to her?
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Work.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Did you notice anything about that?
Speaker 4 (04:05):
I noticed that his demeanor change and he appeared more
distressed and upset on the phone.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Okay, could you tell that that was the deceased workplace
by what he was saying? Or how did you form
the view he was talking to her work.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
By saying that she couldn't come in today. I did
assume that he was calling her workplace.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Defense lawyer Ron Mansfield said Matheson must have deal with
all kinds of states of emotion in her line of work.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
And I would have thought there's no ideal or standard
presentation of somebody. Would that be right?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
That is correct? Everyone responds differently.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Some people are broken down and can hardly speak, can
hardly move as one extreme Yes, and then some people
are composed trying to deal with the situation and try
to ensure that they provide you with as much help
as they can.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
When polking Horn was asked a question, he answered at
Mansfield said, pointing out he had lost his composure during
the call with his wife's workplace. Matheson mentioned spotting a
graze or a scratch in the middle of Polkinghorn's forehead
and said he seemed to be unaware it was there.
Liam Larsen was an aut student at the time and
(05:24):
a trainee paramedic. He too noticed the mark. Constable Andrew
Roland also noticed a fresh injury on Polkinghorn's forehead and
said it looked like a graze, like pretty.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Much right in the center's forehead.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
How would you describe it.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
Ah, It's probably about maybe no bigger than the size
of a golf ball in terms of the diameter. And
it was more like a graze than like as if
you know, you'd bang your head on concrete or something.
Didn't look like a deep cut or anything.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Polking Horn had told paramedics Hannah had a history of
depression and she had a history of taking antidepressants, although
he couldn't remember exactly which ones. Mansfield asked a Larson
about the conversation he remembers being had with the defendant.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Did he also provide some information regarding her general health?
Did he say she had been stressing about her work
lately and was involved heavily involved in the COVID vaccination process.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
I recall him saying something about the vaccination process and
her work, but that's all I remember.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
To be fear to you if you need to check
your notes or your statement. We can, or I'll just
read it to you. See if this freshes your memory.
He mentioned that was which I mean to take as
she was stressing about her work lately and was involved
in COVID vaccination process.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Constable Roland was the one to take Polkinghorn's statement. He
read it out to the jury.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
Pauline has been on and off depressed for several years.
She takes some antidepressant medication. I'm not sure what it's called.
She has been taking it for several years. I'm not
sure she still has been taking it recently. She has
also suffered from bolimia about five years ago. She has
(07:21):
been taking weight reduction medication. Also, Pauline has been exhausted
in recent times. This has been mainly from working such
long hours.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
He's spent nearly forty minutes with him, during which Polkinghorn
spoke to people on the phone and was getting messages through.
Roland told the court when the defendants spoke to others
on the phone telling them of his wife's death, he
would become upset.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Yes, this was yeah, so this was during the time
that I was taking the statement off him. I can
recall like one specific phone call, I think it was
from his brother, and he was getting a phone call.
He looked at his phone and he said, oh, this
is my brother, and then he answered the call and
said something like Pauline's did or my wife's did, And
(08:13):
then I could hear crying coming from the other side
of the line.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
How was he during this period?
Speaker 5 (08:19):
How was he English? So? When I was talking to him,
he seemed fine, But then when he spoke about his
wife to other people that like to notify them of
her death, he would get quite upset.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
And what about him is answering of your questions or
providing you with information.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
He was, for the most part quite fine, particularly when
I can recall asking him in detail how he discovered
his wife on the morning, and from memory, he didn't
seem to get to emotionally. He just was sort of straight.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
To the point.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Roland detailed the moment when Polkinghorn's sun arrived at the
scene that morning.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
I think when his sun showed up, he I think
they he gave him a hugin Philip Mister Polkinhord said
that she was the love of his life, and he
cried a bit there as well.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
After Polkinghorn finished giving his statement, he read each page
and he signed them. Constable Roland handed the document over
to his sergeant, CHRISCA William.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Gave him all the papers and at that point Sergeant
Chris had written on his hand the number one in
the letter C and he showed it to me, which
is basically police code for suspicious circumstances.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
So by late morning, officers were treating the scene as suspicious.
By that time there were questions about ligature marks around
Hannah's neck diamond Marx resembling a belt that Polkinghorn admitted to.
Moving to the kitchen, more paramedic and officers noticed the
bright orange rope hanging from a handrail and another piece
(10:06):
coiled on the steps below. Mansfield Cross examined Sergeant Chris Giwilliam,
who told the court he had been advised before Polkinghorn
had finished making his initial statement that the scene was
being treated as suspicious. By the end of the day,
the court heard evidence from Detective Constable Brooke Everson. She
(10:26):
was in charge of Hannah's body. Her head was tilted
to the side and there was obvious markings on her
neck about three centimeters in width in a criss cross pattern.
On the right side to the front of her neck.
There was a cut on the left side of the
bridge of her nose. It was fresh, it wasn't scabbed over,
(10:47):
and there was blood coming out of her left to ear.
There was some bruising on her inner thigh. On her
left hand, there was blood between her fore and middle fingers.
It didn't appear to be a cut, it was just blood.
Those marks on her neck were noticed by others as well.
Sergeant Gwilliam told the court ligature marks were noted on
(11:08):
her neck.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
He described the ligature marks as like diamond shapes, and
then that clicked very quickly in your mind that that
might match the belt which had been photographed and seen
in the stairwell.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
That there was two items theyrecreped.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
And you then realized that that item should be secured.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Then I mentioned the item that there was two items.
They are correct.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
The belt was mentioned by Polkinghorn in his statement as
being around his wife's neck. It had been noted as
being on the stairs. Then Constable Danielle Gear remembered seeing
it as well.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
And I think at one stage after you had seen
Dr Popenhorn coming up the stairs curling up the belt
in front of him. You were asked by the sargent
where the belt was that had been on the steps. Yes,
and you were able to tell him because you had
seen doctor Polkinghorn with the belt that you thought he
(12:10):
had it.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Then you made an inquiry of Dr Polkinhorn during the
interview with Constable Rowlands and he told you that, yes,
he put the belt in the kitchen.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
The trial continues tomorrow. You can listen to episodes of
Accused the Polkinghorn Trial through the Front Page podcast feed
or find it on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
This series is presented and produced by me Chelsea Daniels,
with producer Ethan Seles and sound engineer Paddy fox And.
(12:47):
For more coverage of the Polkinghorn Trial, head to Enzidhrold
dot co dot nz
Kiota. I'm Chelsea Daniels and from the team behind the
front page the New Zealand Herald's daily news podcast, This
Is Accused the polking Horn Trial. Over the next six weeks,
in conjunction with our usual daily episodes, we'll be bringing
you regular coverage as one of the most high profile
trials of the year makes its way through the High
(00:30):
Court at Auckland. A warning, this podcast contains disturbing content.
Was Philip Polkinghorn reasonably calm on the morning of his
wife's death or just composed and trying to help? Was
the injury on his forehead a scratch, a graze, scrape
(00:51):
or a cut? How is Pauline Hannah's body found and
what injuries did she have? And why by late morning,
before a statement was even given, did police deem the
scene suspicious. Those who first attended the scene where Pauline
Hannah's body was found have given evidence On day two
(01:13):
of the trial of the former Auckland eye surgeon accused
of murdering his wife. Polkinghorn maintains she took her own life.
He told police she was on antidepressants, she was stressed
about her work with the then COVID vaccination roll out
she was involved in overseeing. She'd been planning a holiday,
a four We'll drive trip in the South Island with friends.
(01:37):
This morning's testimony painted a picture of how Polkinghorn says
he found his wife's body on the morning of April fifth,
twenty twenty one, Easter Monday, and the last time he
says he saw his wife alive. In his first police statement,
he detailed the night before, the pair had a drink
or two in their upstairs library and she cooked dinner.
(02:00):
Wineglass with lipstick on it was seen by an officer.
They watched a few episodes of New Amsterdam on Netflix
together before going to bed for the night around ten pm.
Hannah had organized to go to the gym the next
day around nine am. They'd been sleeping in separate rooms.
He got up early about seven forty five to make breakfast,
(02:21):
tea and toast. He used another stairwell to get to
the kitchen, the closest to the master bedroom he was
sleeping in the night before, and after that he went
to go upstairs via another staircase, and that's when he
finds his wife slumped leaning forward in a chair with
a belt around her neck. Paramedics have told the court
(02:46):
it was clear Pauline Hannah was dead. She was found
in the entrance way of the home, covered with a
douvet and a pillow under her head. Saint John paramedic
Hannah Matheson was one of the first ambulance members at
the Upland Road scene. She told Brian Dickie as she
was asking him questions about the morning's events, he seemed calm.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Did he say anything about the patient, that he knew
that she was dead?
Speaker 3 (03:12):
And yeah, that she was his wife?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
And how did he appear at this time when you
were speaking with.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
Him reasonably calm? Wasn't crying, didn't seem distressed, was answering
our questions appropriately. Yeah, gave full name and date of birth.
Said that the patient had depression, but was unaware of
(03:39):
the names of any medications that the patient took.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
He said the patient had depression.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
That he.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Did he just say just that or did he say
more than that to describe?
Speaker 3 (03:51):
But I can only recall him saying that.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
She heard Polkinghorn calling Hannah's workplace to tell them she
wasn't going into work that day.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
How was he when he was on the phone talking
to her?
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Work.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Did you notice anything about that?
Speaker 4 (04:05):
I noticed that his demeanor change and he appeared more
distressed and upset on the phone.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Okay, could you tell that that was the deceased workplace
by what he was saying? Or how did you form
the view he was talking to her work.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
By saying that she couldn't come in today. I did
assume that he was calling her workplace.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Defense lawyer Ron Mansfield said Matheson must have deal with
all kinds of states of emotion in her line of work.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
And I would have thought there's no ideal or standard
presentation of somebody. Would that be right?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
That is correct? Everyone responds differently.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Some people are broken down and can hardly speak, can
hardly move as one extreme Yes, and then some people
are composed trying to deal with the situation and try
to ensure that they provide you with as much help
as they can.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
When polking Horn was asked a question, he answered at
Mansfield said, pointing out he had lost his composure during
the call with his wife's workplace. Matheson mentioned spotting a
graze or a scratch in the middle of Polkinghorn's forehead
and said he seemed to be unaware it was there.
Liam Larsen was an aut student at the time and
(05:24):
a trainee paramedic. He too noticed the mark. Constable Andrew
Roland also noticed a fresh injury on Polkinghorn's forehead and
said it looked like a graze, like pretty.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Much right in the center's forehead.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
How would you describe it.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
Ah, It's probably about maybe no bigger than the size
of a golf ball in terms of the diameter. And
it was more like a graze than like as if
you know, you'd bang your head on concrete or something.
Didn't look like a deep cut or anything.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Polking Horn had told paramedics Hannah had a history of
depression and she had a history of taking antidepressants, although
he couldn't remember exactly which ones. Mansfield asked a Larson
about the conversation he remembers being had with the defendant.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Did he also provide some information regarding her general health?
Did he say she had been stressing about her work
lately and was involved heavily involved in the COVID vaccination process.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
I recall him saying something about the vaccination process and
her work, but that's all I remember.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
To be fear to you if you need to check
your notes or your statement. We can, or I'll just
read it to you. See if this freshes your memory.
He mentioned that was which I mean to take as
she was stressing about her work lately and was involved
in COVID vaccination process.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Constable Roland was the one to take Polkinghorn's statement. He
read it out to the jury.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
Pauline has been on and off depressed for several years.
She takes some antidepressant medication. I'm not sure what it's called.
She has been taking it for several years. I'm not
sure she still has been taking it recently. She has
also suffered from bolimia about five years ago. She has
(07:21):
been taking weight reduction medication. Also, Pauline has been exhausted
in recent times. This has been mainly from working such
long hours.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
He's spent nearly forty minutes with him, during which Polkinghorn
spoke to people on the phone and was getting messages through.
Roland told the court when the defendants spoke to others
on the phone telling them of his wife's death, he
would become upset.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Yes, this was yeah, so this was during the time
that I was taking the statement off him. I can
recall like one specific phone call, I think it was
from his brother, and he was getting a phone call.
He looked at his phone and he said, oh, this
is my brother, and then he answered the call and
said something like Pauline's did or my wife's did, And
(08:13):
then I could hear crying coming from the other side
of the line.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
How was he during this period?
Speaker 5 (08:19):
How was he English? So? When I was talking to him,
he seemed fine, But then when he spoke about his
wife to other people that like to notify them of
her death, he would get quite upset.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
And what about him is answering of your questions or
providing you with information.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
He was, for the most part quite fine, particularly when
I can recall asking him in detail how he discovered
his wife on the morning, and from memory, he didn't
seem to get to emotionally. He just was sort of straight.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
To the point.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Roland detailed the moment when Polkinghorn's sun arrived at the
scene that morning.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
I think when his sun showed up, he I think
they he gave him a hugin Philip Mister Polkinhord said
that she was the love of his life, and he
cried a bit there as well.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
After Polkinghorn finished giving his statement, he read each page
and he signed them. Constable Roland handed the document over
to his sergeant, CHRISCA William.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Gave him all the papers and at that point Sergeant
Chris had written on his hand the number one in
the letter C and he showed it to me, which
is basically police code for suspicious circumstances.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
So by late morning, officers were treating the scene as suspicious.
By that time there were questions about ligature marks around
Hannah's neck diamond Marx resembling a belt that Polkinghorn admitted to.
Moving to the kitchen, more paramedic and officers noticed the
bright orange rope hanging from a handrail and another piece
(10:06):
coiled on the steps below. Mansfield Cross examined Sergeant Chris Giwilliam,
who told the court he had been advised before Polkinghorn
had finished making his initial statement that the scene was
being treated as suspicious. By the end of the day,
the court heard evidence from Detective Constable Brooke Everson. She
(10:26):
was in charge of Hannah's body. Her head was tilted
to the side and there was obvious markings on her
neck about three centimeters in width in a criss cross pattern.
On the right side to the front of her neck.
There was a cut on the left side of the
bridge of her nose. It was fresh, it wasn't scabbed over,
(10:47):
and there was blood coming out of her left to ear.
There was some bruising on her inner thigh. On her
left hand, there was blood between her fore and middle fingers.
It didn't appear to be a cut, it was just blood.
Those marks on her neck were noticed by others as well.
Sergeant Gwilliam told the court ligature marks were noted on
(11:08):
her neck.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
He described the ligature marks as like diamond shapes, and
then that clicked very quickly in your mind that that
might match the belt which had been photographed and seen
in the stairwell.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
That there was two items theyrecreped.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
And you then realized that that item should be secured.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Then I mentioned the item that there was two items.
They are correct.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
The belt was mentioned by Polkinghorn in his statement as
being around his wife's neck. It had been noted as
being on the stairs. Then Constable Danielle Gear remembered seeing
it as well.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
And I think at one stage after you had seen
Dr Popenhorn coming up the stairs curling up the belt
in front of him. You were asked by the sargent
where the belt was that had been on the steps. Yes,
and you were able to tell him because you had
seen doctor Polkinghorn with the belt that you thought he
(12:10):
had it.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Then you made an inquiry of Dr Polkinhorn during the
interview with Constable Rowlands and he told you that, yes,
he put the belt in the kitchen.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
The trial continues tomorrow. You can listen to episodes of
Accused the Polkinghorn Trial through the Front Page podcast feed
or find it on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
This series is presented and produced by me Chelsea Daniels,
with producer Ethan Seles and sound engineer Paddy fox And.
(12:47):
For more coverage of the Polkinghorn Trial, head to Enzidhrold
dot co dot nz
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