not on trial<\/a>. <\/p>\nOn Tuesday, the court heard from Detective Inspector Chris Allan, one of the officers who led the investigation. <\/p>\n
Much of Allan’s evidence was aired during the 2024 murder trial and focused on the police response and scene examination. <\/p>\n
Allan said Polkinghorne gave a statement to police but was able to move freely around the house while officers investigated Hanna’s death. <\/p>\n
The court heard Polkinghorne also moved an item that would later be seized as evidence. <\/p>\n
Polkinghorne was eventually taken to Auckland Central Police Station, where he was interviewed as a witness rather than a suspect, Allan said. <\/p>\n
In the video-recorded interview played in court, Polkinghorne told police he knew Hanna was dead immediately after finding her. <\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a-framed-photo-of-pauline-hanna-at-the-inquest-into-her-deat-G6L6GTIM55CUFJSNEYJ7UGBYAI.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
A framed photo of Pauline Hanna at the inquest into her death (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n
It was at that moment that Polkinghorne broke down in tears in the courtroom. <\/p>\n
The hearing was briefly adjourned before Polkinghorne and his sister left the courtroom and the video was resumed. <\/p>\n
In opening submissions on Monday, police and Polkinghorne’s lawyers presented sharply contrasting accounts, mirroring the arguments made during the High Court trial. <\/p>\n
Hanna\u2019s family is also taking part in the inquiry. <\/p>\n
“There have been many tall stories, misconceptions, lies, absolute garbage that I have heard and read. I hope these will be exposed in the coming days and weeks,\u201d her brother, Bruce Hanna, said on Monday. <\/p>\n
Crown solicitor Alysha McClintock, representing police, told the coroner the scene was at odds with Polkinghorne’s account of events. <\/p>\n
“It points toward death at the hands of another,” McClintock said. <\/p>\n
But Polkinghorne’s lawyer Ron Mansfield KC said police had become fixated on a “homicide theory” and maintained the evidence supported suicide. <\/p>\n
“The forensic evidence is clear. It’s sad, it’s distressing,” Mansfield said. <\/p>\n
“No one else was involved. No one else needed to be involved.” <\/p>\n
![\"Ron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ron-mansfield-kc-left-and-philip-polkinghorne-arrive-at-auck-QLV5APKLDNF55APFDEXZKITJHY.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Ron Mansfield KC (left) and Philip Polkinghorne (file photo). (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n
The inquiry is focusing on the 24 hours before Hanna’s death and the immediate aftermath, including the examination of the scene. <\/p>\n
Polkinghorne and Hughes were expected to give evidence during the second week. <\/p>\n
The Coroner\u2019s Act prevents details of the method or suspected method of Hanna\u2019s death to be published. <\/p>\n
Beyond determining the circumstances of Hanna’s death, the coroner may also make findings or recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Philip Polkinghorne broke down in tears and an inquest into the death of his wife Pauline Hanna was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":558390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[67,111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-558389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-crime-and-justice","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Where](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wtgh-suicide-helplines-depression-youthline-lifeline-JODHLZ4Q6JCUNHR5NJGIMWXPYQ.png\")
<\/p>\n