Bedroom where Pauline Hanna slept alone the focus of inquest into her death
An inquest into the death of Pauline Hanna is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding her 2021 death. The proceedings follow a criminal trial where her husband was acquitted of murder.
Why it matters
The inquest seeks to provide closure and clarity on a high-profile case where the cause of death remains legally unresolved despite a criminal acquittal.
The first week of an inquest into Pauline Hanna's death has wound up on Friday afternoon, with her husband Philip Polkinghorne still to give witness testimony.
Hanna was found dead at her Remuera home in 2021.
A jury found Polkinghorne not guilty of her murder after a high-profile criminal trial in 2024.
But a majority of the jury did not believe there was enough evidence that Hanna's death was self-inflicted.
Now, Coroner Tania Tetitaha is attempting to determine how Hanna died and the circumstances surrounding her death.
At the coroner's court in Auckland on Friday, the inquest focused on the bedroom Hanna was believed to have slept alone in the night before her body was found in the couple's Remuera home.
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