Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial

The New Zealand Herald
  • 3.9 (19)
  • TRUE CRIME
  • UPDATED DAILY
Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial Podcast

From the team behind The Front Page, the New Zealand Herald's daily news podcast, comes Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial.  Paulina Hanna was found dead at the Remuera home she shared with her husband of 30 years, Philip Polkinghorne, on Easter Monday 2021.  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.   Over the coming weeks, The Front Page host Chelsea Daniels will be reporting regularly from the Auckland High Court as Polkinghorne stands trial.  Follow Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. 

  1. Inside the defence's closing statement: What they say happened to Pauline Hanna

    14 HRS AGO

    Inside the defence's closing statement: What they say happened to Pauline Hanna

    Week Eight has the Crown and Defence issuing their closing statements. The Crown alleges that Philip Polkinghorne killed his wife, Pauline Hanna, on April 5 2021. He maintains she took her own life.  After the Crown went first, it is now the turn of the defence - led by lawyer Ron Mansfield - to deliver its closing statement.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    48 min
  2. Inside the Crown's closing statement: What they say happened to Pauline Hanna

    1 DAY AGO

    Inside the Crown's closing statement: What they say happened to Pauline Hanna

    Week Eight has the Crown and Defence issuing their closing statements. First is the Crown, with Crown Prosecutor Alysha McClintock delivering it to the jury. The Crown alleges that Philip Polkinghorne killed his wife, Pauline Hanna, on April 5 2021. He maintains she took her own life.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    53 min
  3. Days 30 - 31: Final witnesses take the stand after seven weeks of testimony

    3 DAYS AGO

    Days 30 - 31: Final witnesses take the stand after seven weeks of testimony

    After seven weeks and over 80 witnesses, we have finished hearing evidence in the trial of Philip Polkinghorne.   The former Auckland eye surgeon is accused of murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna, who was found dead on 5 April, 2021.  He maintains she took her own life.  In the final days of testimony, the debate over activity on Hanna’s phone continued, before the last two witnesses to take the stand offered their views on the state of her mental health, and the risk factors that could have pushed her towards suicide.   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. Additional production support by Helen King. Additional reporting by Craig Kapitan and George Block.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    17 min
  4. Days 27 - 29: Email highlights Hanna's work stress as witnesses weigh in on her mental health

    12 SEPT

    Days 27 - 29: Email highlights Hanna's work stress as witnesses weigh in on her mental health

    Originally due to run for six weeks, the trial of Philip Polkinghorne is now in its seventh week.   The former Auckland eye surgeon is accused of murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna, who was found dead on 5 April, 2021.  He maintains she took her own life.  More witnesses from the defence took the stand to discuss their thoughts on how Hanna died, and the risk factors that could have pushed her to take her own life. New emails from Hanna were read to the court, and the question on if she used her phone the night before she died saw one Crown witness returned to the stand.  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 Dan Goodwin. Additional production support by Helen King. Additional reporting by Craig Kapitan and George Block.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 5m
  5. Days 24 - 26: Witnesses reveal a different side of Polkinghorne as defence argues its case

    5 SEPT

    Days 24 - 26: Witnesses reveal a different side of Polkinghorne as defence argues its case

    Week six of the trial of Philip Polkinghorne continued with the defence’s case.   The former Auckland eye surgeon is accused of murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna, who was found dead on 5 April, 2021.  He maintains she took her own life.  Witnesses for the defence revealed a different side of Polkinghorne then what we’ve previously heard, with former colleagues and neighbours describing him as funny, generous and caring.   While the case took another dive into the couple’s accounts, electricity usage the morning Hanna died, and the reappearance of a red mark on the stairs – and the defence pathologist weighed in as well.   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 Dan Goodwin. Additional production support by Helen King. Additional reporting by Craig Kapitan and George Block.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    41 min
  6. Days 22 and 23: Defence opens their case with Pauline Hanna's sister

    30 AUG

    Days 22 and 23: Defence opens their case with Pauline Hanna's sister

    After nearly five weeks of witnesses, The Crown has closed its case in the trial of Philip Polkinghorne.  The former Auckland eye surgeon is accused of murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna, who was found dead on 5 April, 2021.  He maintains she took her own life.  The Crown closed its case with more on Polkinghorne’s arrest, Police searches, and a last minute witness on cell phones.  The rest of the trial is now in the hands of the Defence – and for their first witness, they called up Pauline Hanna’s own sister.  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. Additional production support by Helen King. Additional reporting by Craig Kapitan and George Block.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    30 min
  7. Days 20 and 21: The final search history and unsent messages of Pauline Hanna

    27 AUG

    Days 20 and 21: The final search history and unsent messages of Pauline Hanna

    Week five in the trial of Philip Polkinghorne has kicked off with more on what was found on the couple’s tech, a hint that Pauline Hanna found a P pipe months before her death, and what exactly is a ‘girlfriend experience’? And two messages, drafted, on the morning of Pauline Hanna’s death, have also been revealed by the defence.  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. Additional reporting by Craig Kapitan and George Block.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    26 min
  8. Days 18 and 19: Sex tapes, intimate letters and Google searches revealed

    23 AUG

    Days 18 and 19: Sex tapes, intimate letters and Google searches revealed

    The end of the shortened fourth week in the trial of Philip Polkinghorne traverses a range of topics He’s accused of murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna, in April 2021 – but maintains, she took her own life.   More on the couple’s finances, the dark sides of meth use, a sex tape, Google searches about infidelity, and a series of intimate letters between a husband and a wife were all revealed and discussed by witnesses.  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. Additional reporting by Craig Kapitan and George Block.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    41 min
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3.9
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

From the team behind The Front Page, the New Zealand Herald's daily news podcast, comes Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial.  Paulina Hanna was found dead at the Remuera home she shared with her husband of 30 years, Philip Polkinghorne, on Easter Monday 2021.  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.   Over the coming weeks, The Front Page host Chelsea Daniels will be reporting regularly from the Auckland High Court as Polkinghorne stands trial.  Follow Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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