Philip Polkinghorne has been found “not guilty” of murder after a nine weeks-long trial over the death of his wife Pauline Hanna
Kanwalpreet Kaur Pannu
Freelance Journalist
The article is based on publicly available information; opinions included are mine.
Philip Polkinghorne has been found “not guilty” of murder after a nine weeks-long trial over the death of his wife Pauline Hanna.
According to the jury members, it was a tough decision. Most members believed it was not a case of suicide, but the Crown could not produce enough evidence to prove it to be a murder. Therefore, the final decision was “Not Guilty.”
Remember that, in law, there is a difference between “not guilty” and “innocent.” A verdict of not guilty doesn’t mean that the accused is innocent.
Background
Philip Polkinghorne, 71, was accused of killing his wife, Pauline Hanna, and staging the scene to look like a suicide.
Philip Polkinghorne is a retired eye surgeon, and his wife, Pauline Hanna, worked as an executive at Healthsource.
During the trial, it was revealed that Philip Polkinghorne was addicted to meth drugs and sexual relations, for which he paid tens of thousands of dollars.
Reaction to the trial outcome
The most important reaction to this decision came from sex worker Madison Ashton. In an interview with one of the national media, the sex worker said that she regrets not appearing as a Crown witness. She believes that the police omitted crucial evidence she provided.
Ashton also said, “In my opinion even if he didn’t kill her, he drove her to kill herself.”
Madison Ashton also accused Philip Polkinghorne of being a liar, and she believes Polkinghorne had narcissistic traits. She said, I don’t want him to contact me ever; I will never contact him again. She regrets Hanna never dared to leave him.
Apart from sex worker Madison Ashton, Pauline Hannah’s family and friends also showed dissatisfaction with the decision.
The Harsh Realities
The trial revealed how an experienced and well-known eye surgeon who has also served as an associate professor at the University of Auckland was living a double life with his methamphetamine and sexual addiction. This trial opened all the secrets of his personal life, in which he may have felt ashamed or insulted.
During the trial, Pauline Hannah’s emails, messages, statements from her friends, and especially sex worker Madison Ashton’s reaction, suggest that she loved her husband very much and probably could not make up her mind to leave him.
Even though Polkinghorne has been found “not guilty”, the story is still full of mystery and suspense. We will never know what exactly happened to Pauline, but it can be felt how she would have been struggling mentally and emotionally with her husband’s addictions.
Considering the reactions, her emails, and text messages, it is understood that she was a good wife who loved her husband very much, and she could not have the courage to leave him.
In my opinion, it is fair to say that Philip Polkinghorne’s addictions took his wife’s life.
Key Lessons
From this case, one can learn how bad habits or addictions can destroy everything. If there had been no bad habits, the couple could have lived their beautiful lives at this stage of life.
The husband-wife relationship is called a life partner. Therefore, it is precious and must have a beautiful bond. If any partner is cheating, harassing, hurting, and making you feel bad about yourself and it is not getting better, then it is better for both partners to separate. Betrayal is the damaging part of the relationship. Mutual respect, care, and faith are vital aspects of any healthy husband-wife relationship.
The most important lesson is that suicide is not the solution to any problem. Remember that all problems are temporary, and things can get better over time. There is a solution to everything, no matter how big the problem is. No situation is solution less. Life is very precious; it should not be lost due to any temporary problem, not even because of an unfaithful partner.
Kanwalpreet Kaur Pannu
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