Philip Polkinghorne appears at the High Court at Auckland on 29 July, 2024. Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
Content warning: This story has mentions of suicide.
The man accused of murdering his wife and staging it to look like a suicide told police the couple were sleeping in separate rooms at the time of her death.
Retired eye surgeon Philip John Polkinghorne, 71, has been charged with the murder of Pauline Hanna, who was found dead in the Remuera home she shared with her husband in April 2021.
He has pleaded not guilty.
While the Crown argues it was a murder staged to look like a suicide, the defence has disputed the claims, saying Hanna had mental health struggles but the couple had been "perfectly happy" together.
Polkinghorne's statement to police, taken by Constable Alexander Rowland the day Hanna died, was read out on the second day of the trial in the Auckland High Court.
According to the statement, Polkinghorne had been sleeping in the main bedroom of the house, while Hanna slept in their eldest child's bedroom. Their three adult children no longer lived at home.
He said the couple, who were married for over 20 years, had recently been sleeping separately because Hanna was exhausted from working a lot. She had been helping with the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination.
According to Polkinghorne, his wife "liked to drink a bottle of wine in the evenings" and had been taking sleeping pills.
He said she had been depressed "on and off" for several years and took anti-depressants. He said she also suffered from bulimia and was taking weight reduction medication.
But he said she never spoke about harming or killing herself and had never harmed herself.
The day before her death, Polkinghorne said Hanna had been at work. They ate lunch together and she dropped off a meal to elderly friends on the North Shore who had been sick.
Later that evening, she cooked dinner for them, which he said was unusual as he was normally the one who cooked.
He said they ended the night watching the Netflix show New Amsterdam and went to their separate beds about 10pm.
"That was the last time I saw her alive."
He woke up at 5am and read in bed, then about 7.45am he went downstairs to make tea and toast, Polkinghorne said.
That was when he said he found Hanna.
He said he tried to call 111 on his mobile phone but was so flustered it would not work. He was able to call emergency services from the home's landline.
He said he also called his sister, who was at the scene when first responders arrived.
Rowland said he went to give Polkinghorne's statement to his sergeant, Chris Gwilliam, who had 1C written on his hand which meant suspicious circumstances.
Bruising and blood found on body, police say
Police provided more details about the state of Hanna's body after arriving on the scene during the trial on Tuesday.
Sergeant Gwilliam said police responded to a report of suicide after 8am.
But by 9.45am, he was advised by the Criminal Investigation Branch the incident was being treated as suspicious.
There was also a wine glass with lipstick on it in the kitchen, he said.
Constable Max Jones, who photographed the scene, told the court there was no suicide note found.
Jones said there were also no signs of forced entry.
He said it seemed like breakfast was in the middle of being prepared in the kitchen.
The officer in charge of taking Hanna's body to the mortuary told the court she had markings on her neck that were a criss-cross pattern.
Detective Constable Brooke Everson said Hanna was found wearing a white dressing gown with no undergarments.
Everson said blood was coming out of Hanna's ear.
There was also blood on Hanna's right hand that Everson said did not appear to be from a cut.
She said there appeared to be bruising on Hanna's inner thigh.
Earlier on Tuesday, the court heard from St John emergency members who said they had found Hanna on the ground covered in a duvet and Polkinghorne appeared reasonably calm and answered their questions about the patient appropriately.
But medical technician Hannah Matheson said he later appeared distressed and upset while talking to people on the phone about his wife's death.
Polkinghorne told her he had followed the instructions of the 111 operator, Matheson said.
When she pointed out a fresh graze on his forehead, Matheson said Polkinghorne looked surprised it was there and said he was not aware of it.
The trial, which is expected to go on for six weeks as the court hears 62 witnesses, will continue on Wednesday.
Where to get help:
Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202
Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7)
Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
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If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
