Inside the first week of the Philip Polkinghorne trial - Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial

The trial of Dr Philip Polkinghorne, accused of murdering his wife Pauline Hanna at their Remuera home, began at the High Court at Auckland this week. Photo / Michael Craig

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

A successful eye surgeon. A celebrated DHB boss. An “unexplained death” in an affluent Auckland suburb over a long weekend.

This week marked the beginning of a trial that has been years in the making.

Paulina Hanna was found dead at the Remuera home she shared with her husband of 30 years, Philip Polkinghorne, on Easter Monday 2021.

The 63-year-old’s body was found inside the $4 million Upland Rd property and for 16 months her death was treated as “unexplained”.

That’s until it emerged Polkinghorne had been charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty in August 2022.

This week, his trial began in the High Court at Auckland. The Herald has been covering the trial in the new podcast, Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial. With the first week now wrapped up, we’re revisiting how the first days of the trial unfolded.

Day 1: Opening statements set stage for trial as jury hears 111 call

The Crown, in its opening statement, alleged extramarital affairs, dealings with sex workers, and a drug habit.

On the other side, the defence team is arguing a suicide, casual drug use, and an open and loving relationship.

During the first day of the trial, the jury also heard the 111 call made by Polkinghorne that alerted authorities to Hanna’s death.

Day 2: First responders paint picture of the morning of Pauline Hanna’s death

The second day of the trial focused on those who first attended the scene where Hanna’s body was found.

Was 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 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?

Day 3: Inside the scene examination and what police saw

Day three of the trial of Polkinghorne centred around a bright orange rope hanging from a balustrade, and a detailed walk-through of the scene examination of the couple’s Remuera home.

The question of whether Hanna’s death was a suicide, or staged to look like one, was the key focus as police continued to detail what they found when they arrived at the house, and the tests done on the rope found at the scene.

Day 4: Rope expert takes the stand, laundry and pillows discussed

Day four of evidence began with a Canadian forensic rope and knot analyst, who appeared via audio-visual link, to discuss the rope that was found at the scene.

Later, the police sergeant who was in charge of the scene examination was questioned about the scene examination, particularly the guest bedroom where Hanna had slept the night before.

Day 5: Photos of Pauline Hanna from day before her death shown

When the trial resumed on day five, some of the last images of Hanna alive were shown to the court.

It came in the form of security footage from Enviro Onehunga, the tip – or dump – she had visited the day before.

The Herald will be covering the case in a daily podcast, Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial. You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, through The Front Page feed, or wherever you get your podcasts

Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial is a regular podcast from the New Zealand Herald and the team behind The Front Page, with new episodes dropping regular from the trial. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.