Polkinghorne E4: ‘She’s never hit me, I’ve never hit her’

The Trial

The jury hears Polkinghorne for the first time as the prosecution plays his police interview from the day his wife died. While answering questions about his marriage to Pauline Hanna and her state of mind, he receives a call informing him he’s a suspect. The Crown case continues with a friend of the couple describing his suspicions about Polkinghorne’s behaviour and a detective recalling a visit to a luxury getaway where Polkinghorne was staying with sex worker Madison Ashton.

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WARNING: This podcast references suicide right from the start and throughout the episode. Some listeners might find this distressing. Help is available across New Zealand:

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The Trial: Philip Polkinghorne is scripted and presented by Philippa Tolley.

Sound design, audio editing and mixing is by Connor Scott.

The series associate producer is Jen Black and the executive producer Chris Reed.

Special thanks to Stuff journalists Edward Gay and Catrin Owen and Stuff’s senior legal counsel, Charlotte Foster.

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