Australian escort wants to give evidence at Pauline Hanna inquest
Hanna, who managed the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine as an executive director at Counties Manukau Health, died in her Remuera home on April 5, 2021.
Her husband, former Auckland eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne, was found not guilty of murdering her after an eight-week trial last year.
The Crown argued Polkinghorne killed his wife after a possible violent struggle, while he may have been under the influence of methamphetamine.
Pauline Hanna, Philip Polkinghorne and Madison Ashton. (Source: 1News)
ADVERTISEMENT
The defence maintained Hanna died by suicide after many years of struggling with depression, compounded by work-related stress.
Ashton – Polkinghorne's former lover – was called as a witness for the Crown but did not turn up during the trial.
She told other media she decided not to give evidence at the trial due to being unhappy with the police's treatment of her.
Ashton had since approached Coroner Tania Tetitaha's office, indicating she had evidence relevant to the circumstances of Hanna's death.
This could now be revealed as the Coroner lifted a previous non-publication order.
The next pre-inquest conference is set down for August.
rnz.co.nz
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
10 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Dengue fever outbreak: Samoa shuts down schools as cases surge, second child dies
Despite staunch efforts by his family to get him medical help, including being medically evacuated to New Zealand, he died in his parents' arms at Auckland's Starship children's hospital on April 13. More than 1700 confirmed cases Dengue fever, also known as break-bone fever, is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people and causes symptoms including sudden high fever, intensely sore joints and muscles, pain behind the eyes and a rash. Misiafa Nathaniel Lene, 12, died at Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital shortly after being medically evacuated from Samoa, after contracting dengue fever. Samoa declared a major dengue fever outbreak the week after Misiafa's death. Cases have continued to surge, however, with 1756 confirmed cases recorded between January to July 20 and an average of 100 new cases each week. 'Children and young people remain the most affected, with severe illness predominantly observed in those under the age of 15,' Ponifasio said. 'Hospitals - especially paediatric units - are under considerable strain; prompting the establishment of additional beds and temporary wards to manage the increased number of admissions.' Samoa's youngest Covid patient, a 1-year-old girl, is in a critical condition at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital in Apia. Photo / Dean Purcell The Samoa Observer newspaper described the paediatric unit at Moto'otua Hospital as 'packed' with children and worried families. Some of the more serious cases are being isolated, the publication reported. As part of the Ministry of Health's fumigation programmes in schools, government buildings and the National University of Samoa are also being sprayed as part of its preventative measures. Other parts of the Pacific have also declared dengue fever outbreaks over the last few months, including in the Cook Islands and Tonga. Tonga has reported three deaths and its most affected group are youngsters aged between 10 and 19. Influx of visitors ahead of national elections Church communities and villages in Samoa are being encouraged to hold clean-up efforts in a bid to keep mosquitoes away. The outbreak comes as the island nation is gearing up for national elections next month. As a result, an influx of Samoans from overseas - particularly from New Zealand and Australia - are expected to head back to the motherland to vote. No official new travel advisory has been released by New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Samoa. However, travellers are advised via the SafeTravel website that there are occasional outbreaks of dengue fever, zika, chikungunya and typhoid. 'Dengue cases have been reported in Samoa in the past,' the website reads. 'Before you travel, read our mosquito-borne illness information.' Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald's Talanoa section, sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and won the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.
Otago Daily Times
14 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Bible verses, crypto trades and grief: Inside Deluny's diaries
By Kate Green of RNZ Julia DeLuney's diaries, presented as evidence by the Crown during her month-long trial, reveal the highs and lows of cryptocurrency trading, her plans for a Remuera home to retire in, and her grief following the death of her mother. DeLuney was found guilty of murdering Helen Gregory, 79, at the elderly woman's home in Baroda St in Khandallah in January last year. The Crown argued it had been a financially motivated attack, and that DeLuney had been receiving money - or at worst, stealing it - from her mother for at least a year before the murder. Over the course of the trial, her diaries were presented as evidence of her emotional state and financial struggles. They contained little reminders and checklists: "car service, pay credit card $10,000, hair tidy up". But that sat alongside Bible passages, musings about her future, and some existential questions. DeLuney had been a teacher until about 15 years ago. In recent years she had turned her hand to trading cryptocurrency. The court saw photographs of the diary pages, with typed transcriptions alongside. Some entries contained references to FET, WOO, DXY, buying on red days, selling on green days, FOMO of "green candles" (good trades) and speculation about when the US regulating body would approve the first Bitcoin ETF. In early December, she wrote: "Bitcoin hit, $40,000, waiting for FET to break through." Some entries contained Bible passages: "Give back what the locusts have taken away, God, double what he had before! I, Julia, stand for the word of the Lord." The Crown pointed to other entries as a sign she had been struggling mentally - like this one in mid-December: "I need to remember how tough and discouraging these past five-six years have been waiting for such a time as this." As December passed, her diaries begin to reveal a desire to cash out and step back. December 16, 2023: "Having a healthy pullback today after a big green week.... Yes, I'm desperately impatient to resume my life after six years of staring at charts. It's been a terribly traumatic and challenging period of my life. I need to leave this crypto world behind me soon. Please dear lord." And on the last day of the year, there was a glimpse into her dreams for the future. December 31, 2023: "100x from here and we're out of here! New life begins! Remuera goal for 2024, 10m. Generational family home, pool [...], great kitchen, bathrooms, 4+ bedrooms, beautiful tropical garden." The diaries showed how turbulent cryptocurrency trading could be. One early January day, DeLuney wrote the markets were "waking up" - and the next, "Market crashed. Liquidations everywhere." DeLuney's bank records showed between January 2023 and January 2024, she spent more than $155,000 on crypto-currency investments. Cryptocurrency consultant Nicolas Turnbull gave evidence to help the jury understand some of the jargon, but he said there seemed to be "no real structure" to DeLuney's trading. "There's a lot of emotion in it, where if you're trading, and you're doing this as a job ... in my professional opinion you need structure, you need risk management." And as January wore on, the diaries revealed DeLuney's increasing disillusionment with trading. On January 10, she wrote: "It's been an awful year so far, I'm done. Been trying so hard to crack this but as soon as I think it's in my reach, it gets taken away - again and again. I can't keep doing this, I just want a f***ng home and some financial security in old age. It's obviously not happening. F*** life!" On January 24, DeLuney visited her mother to book tickets to the ballet. Her diary entries that day - likely written before she visited her mother that evening - were Bible passages. "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118.24 And: "For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4.13 Crown prosecutor Stephanie Bishop told the jury in her closing argument they may never know the details of that evening, but "something happened, something changed" - that led to DeLuney violently assaulting her mother. The next entry was on January 26, 2024 - two days after her mother's death: Alongside a to-do list of funeral arrangements, she quoted Romans 8.28: "For all things work together for good to those who love him and that are called according to his purposes" and Matthew 6.33: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all those things shall be added unto you." The funeral took place on February 3 - a "beautiful service". "I'm going to miss you forever my one and only darling, beautiful mum, be at rest and in peace with your Lord and savior Jesus Christ," DeLuney wrote. The court saw diary entries up until February 8: "Dear God, I love and miss mum sooo much, please take care of her. Thank you for blessing me with such a loving, kind and wise mum." The jury took only a day to deliberate, returning their guilty verdict on Wednesday, just before 5pm. DeLuney was remanded in custody, to be sentenced in September.
1News
16 hours ago
- 1News
Julia Deluney's diaries: Bible verses, crypto and future plans
Julia Deluney's diaries, presented as evidence by the Crown during her month-long trial, reveal the highs and lows of cryptocurrency trading, her plans for a Remuera home to retire in, and her grief following the death of her mother. DeLuney was found guilty of murdering Helen Gregory, 79, at the elderly woman's home in Baroda St in Khandallah in January last year. The Crown argued it had been a financially motivated attack, and that DeLuney had been receiving money - or at worst, stealing it - from her mother for at least a year before the murder. Over the course of the trial, her diaries were presented as evidence of her emotional state and financial struggles. They contained little reminders and checklists: "car service, pay credit card $10,000, hair tidy up". ADVERTISEMENT But that sat alongside Bible passages, musings about her future, and some existential questions. DeLuney had been a teacher until about 15 years ago. In recent years she had turned her hand to trading cryptocurrency. The court saw photographs of the diary pages, with typed transcriptions alongside. Helen Gregory. (Source: Some entries contained references to FET, WOO, DXY, buying on red days, selling on green days, FOMO of "green candles" (good trades) and speculation about when the US regulating body would approve the first Bitcoin ETF. In early December, she wrote: "Bitcoin hit, $40,000, waiting for FET to break through." Some entries contained Bible passages: "Give back what the locusts have taken away, God, double what he had before! I, Julia, stand for the word of the Lord." ADVERTISEMENT The Crown pointed to other entries as a sign she had been struggling mentally - like this one in mid-December: "I need to remember how tough and discouraging these past five-six years have been waiting for such a time as this." As December passed, her diaries begin to reveal a desire to cash out and step back. December 16, 2023: "Having a healthy pullback today after a big green week.... Yes, I'm desperately impatient to resume my life after six years of staring at charts. It's been a terribly traumatic and challenging period of my life. I need to leave this crypto world behind me soon. Please dear lord." And on the last day of the year, there was a glimpse into her dreams for the future. December 31, 2023: "100x from here and we're out of here! New life begins! Remuera goal for 2024, 10m. Generational family home, pool [...], great kitchen, bathrooms, 4+ bedrooms, beautiful tropical garden." The diaries showed how turbulent cryptocurrency trading could be. One early January day, DeLuney wrote the markets were "waking up" - and the next, "Market crashed. Liquidations everywhere." ADVERTISEMENT DeLuney's bank records showed between January 2023 and January 2024, she spent more than $155,000 on crypto-currency investments. Cryptocurrency consultant Nicolas Turnbull gave evidence to help the jury understand some of the jargon, but he said there seemed to be "no real structure" to DeLuney's trading. "There's a lot of emotion in it, where if you're trading, and you're doing this as a job ... in my professional opinion you need structure, you need risk management." And as January wore on, the diaries revealed DeLuney's increasing disillusionment with trading. On January 10, she wrote: "It's been an awful year so far, I'm done. Been trying so hard to crack this but as soon as I think it's in my reach, it gets taken away - again and again. I can't keep doing this, I just want a f***ng home and some financial security in old age. It's obviously not happening. F*** life!" On January 24, DeLuney visited her mother to book tickets to the ballet. Her diary entries that day - likely written before she visited her mother that evening - were Bible passages. ADVERTISEMENT "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118.24 And: "For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4.13 Crown prosecutor Stephanie Bishop told the jury in her closing argument they may never know the details of that evening, but "something happened, something changed" - that led to DeLuney violently assaulting her mother. The next entry was on January 26, 2024 - two days after her mother's death: Alongside a to-do list of funeral arrangements, she quoted Romans 8.28: "For all things work together for good to those who love him and that are called according to his purposes" and Matthew 6.33: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all those things shall be added unto you." The funeral took place on February 3 - a "beautiful service". "I'm going to miss you forever my one and only darling, beautiful mum, be at rest and in peace with your Lord and savior Jesus Christ," DeLuney wrote. ADVERTISEMENT The court saw diary entries up until February 8: "Dear God, I love and miss mum sooo much, please take care of her. Thank you for blessing me with such a loving, kind and wise mum." The jury took only a day to deliberate, returning their guilty verdict on Wednesday, just before 5pm. DeLuney was remanded in custody, to be sentenced in September.
