Philip Polkinghorne: Madison Ashton a potential witness at coronial inquest into Pauline Hanna's death
In March a coroner held a pre-inquest conference into the circumstances of Pauline Hanna's death at Auckland District Court.
The conference was held to prepare for the inquest next year, how it will be run, and who will take part in it.
A coronial inquest into how Pauline Hanna died will be held next August. Photo / Norrie Montgomery
It was suggested the inquest could be held in August next year.
Before the conference, Coroner Tetitaha wrote in a minute: 'This death involves a suspected self-inflicted death'.
She also clarified in a footnote: 'I make this observation without indicating any view on the ultimate questions of cause and circumstances of death'.
The minute lists the current interested parties as Philip Polkinghorne, and Pauline Hanna's siblings Bruce and Tracey Hanna.
Bruce Hanna will also be called to give evidence at his sister Pauline Hanna's coronial inquest.
On Easter Monday 2021, Pauline Hanna, 63, a health procurement manager, was found dead in suspicious circumstances at the Remuera mansion she shared with her husband, Philip Polkinghorne.
Last September, after an eight-week trial in the High Court at Auckland, Polkinghorne, 72, was acquitted of murdering his wife.
Ashton refused to appear as a Crown witness. She would have given explosive evidence about Polkinghorne's methamphetamine use, how he had planned to leave his wife and marry her – and the messages and videos she had shared with Polkinghorne.
While 'mainlining' on the Polkinghorne trial coverage, she took a luxury cruise, walked through the Jardin Majorelle gardens in Morocco, visited London, Lisbon, and climbed the Acropolis in Athens.
Madison Ashton refused to give evidence at Philip Polkinghorne's trial, claiming the police botched the investigation into Pauline Hanna's death.
Ashton says she fled to Europe to avoid giving evidence because she lost faith in the police investigation into Pauline Hanna's death.
She previously told the Herald the police 'botched' the murder investigation by not taking her seriously and omitting crucial evidence she provided.
'They are not going to ask me the right questions; they will only waste my time. The stigma of him being with a sex worker has stopped them from doing their jobs properly,' Ashton said.
'They have never acknowledged that Philip and I were in a relationship, so the jury won't have the full context. The police should admit their mistakes for not testing Philip for drugs [immediately after Hanna's death] or having water-tight forensics.'
Madison Ashton claims police never believed she was in a relationship with Philip Polkinghorne.
The Herald has obtained personal correspondence between Polkinghorne and Ashton, videos and police interviews that confirms Polkinghorne was living a double life and actively planning a future with the escort.
'We talked about getting married, buying a house and having children,' Ashton says.
'You know what I really loved about Philip?
'He was intelligent and had a dry wit. I was so impressed that Philip and Pauline were in this mature avant-garde, cashed-up relationship that could also have strong boundaries, and no hysteria over sex.
'He had a job, and he wasn't going to be a f***tard and ask me to quit mine, I thought I was having an equal relationship with someone on my level.
'Pauline and I had a lot of similarities; with me he wanted Pauline 2.0. We are tough, well-dressed women who worship our men.
'Most men don't want an out and proud sex worker because they're worried what everyone else will think. Philip wanted me so he looks like more of a man than he really is 'like, f*** how did he wrangle her? But what I was in love with was clearly a myth,' Ashton says.
Philip Polkinghorne was acquitted of his wife's murder after an eight-week trial. Photo / Dean Purcell
The Crown's case was that Polkinghorne fatally strangled Hanna, staging it to look like a suicide. The Crown submitted that he was living a double life, obsessed with meth and in a relationship with Ashton in Sydney.
Polkinghorne's defence was that Hanna, a Counties Manukau Health executive, was exhausted during the Covid response, had a history of mental health issues, was on depression medication and then tragically took her own life.
On the first day of the eight-week trial, Polkinghorne pleaded guilty to methamphetamine-related charges and was sentenced last November to 150 hours of community service.
Carolyne Meng-Yee is an Auckland-based investigative journalist who won Best Documentary at the Voyager Media Awards. Recently she was runner-up for Best Editorial Campaign and part of a team that won Best Coverage of a Major News Event: Philip Polkinghorne Murder Trial. She worked for the Herald on Sunday from 2007-2011 and rejoined the Herald in 2016 after working as an award-winning current affairs producer at TVNZ's 60 Minutes, 20/20 and Sunday.

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'The forces involved in this collision resulted in Mr Penn losing control of his Superstock 59P which was diverted into the concrete wall on the outside of the racetrack. 'The front right, then left rear, of the Superstock 59P crashed into the wall. At least one of these three impacts was responsible for Mr Penn's fatal head injury.' Wrigley wrote how Superstock Team racing came with 'inherent risk of serious injury even when appropriate safety precautions are followed.' The New Zealand SuperStock Teams Championship is one of the biggest events on the Kiwi speedway calendar. Photo / Sportsweb Photography SNZ general manager Aaron Kirby wrote in a report to the inquiry that Penn's death was an 'unfortunate accident' that had followed typical 'aggressive' Superstock teams racing. 'Mr Kirby advised that while Speedway NZ strives to achieve the highest level of safety possible, it is not possible to eliminate all risk,' Wrigley wrote. 'Speedway NZ's position is that all reasonable and practicable precautions were taken on the day of the crash to ensure Mr Penn was compliant with Speedway NZ rules.' WorkSafe had earlier looked at Penn's death but deemed it would not investigate, saying: 'Speedway / car racing has a high risk [of] accident or injury. Initial enquiries found [that Speedway NZ] had adequate controls at the time of the accident.' Stephen Penn's family In a written statement to the Herald, Penn's family said they were 'happy with the coroner's findings that they have ruled it a tragic freak accident'. The family hoped the findings would 'end any speculation or unfounded assumptions' regarding the accident. Penn had a 'huge passion' for speedway. 'Growing up around racing meant the love for motorsport was in his blood,' the family said. The speedway community rallied around the Penn family after Stephen Penn (inset) died in a racing crash. 'Within speedway, he aspired to be part of a team where he could do his part in assisting them to the finish line.' His loved ones stressed he never compromised on safety. 'Knowing that speedway was a dangerous sport, safety was the absolute top priority when Stephen raced,' they said. 'What happened to Stephen has not impacted our love for the sport and we are happy that this also has not hindered the continuation of Teams Champs.' In a post in SNZ's June newsletter, the sport's governing body described the driver as a 'great ambassador' for speedway. Flanked by Kyla and Vanessa Penn, Kaelin Mooney holds the Stephen Penn Rookie of Teams Champs trophy named in honour of the late driver. Photo / Troy Adamson SNZ wrote that since the tragedy occurred it had 'assisted the coroner with documentation and evidence requests relating to the incident and the sport itself'. The organisation said its 'first priority' had been towards Vanessa and his two daughters. 'The family wish to have it conveyed that Stephen's death was a freak and tragic accident, a result of doing something he truly loved.' Kind-hearted Kiwis donated $96,101 to the Penn family via a Givealittle page created after the racing death. The Penn family told the Herald the support they received would never be forgotten. 'We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that supported us through this tough time,' they said. 'During this time, we saw the speedway community come together as a family and showed people that this is not just a sport but a passion. 'Lastly, thanks to everyone that keeps his legacy alive and not letting this affect their love for the sport which Stephen would have wanted.' Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.