After eight weeks, and more than eighty witnesses, the trial of 71-year-old Philip Polkinghorne has reached its final stages. As the jury retires to consider the evidence , here's a recap of how this case unfolded. 2021 4 April: Pauline Hanna, 63, spends her last evening alive at the $4 million Remuera home she shares with now retired eye surgeon husband Philip Polkinghorne.
He would tell police he went to bed at 10pm and that he and his wife slept in separate rooms. He would also tell police it was an ordinary evening, with the couple having dinner and drinks and talking before Hanna watched Netflix. 5 April: Pauline Hanna is found dead in the entrance way of the Upland Road home.
Polkinghorne says he woke up around 6am, reading in bed before making his way downstairs about 8am to make tea and toast. He then finds Hanna slumped in a chair. Polkinghorne calls 111 at 8:07am.
After accompanying police to the station to make a statement, he leaves and shortly afterwards, at 5:20pm he googles "how to delete icloud", three times. Police and forensic scientists will spend the next 11 days at the scene. On the afternoon Hanna died, escort Madison Ashton sent Polkinghorne a link of an image of herself in a swimsuit and speaks about making lamb shanks for her children, which police believe refers to her chihuahua dogs.
13 April: St John receives a police request for 111 call data from 5 April at the couple's Remuera home. That audio will eventually be played during the trial in which .