A coroner says there is legitimate public interest in examining the causes and circumstances of Pauline Hanna’s death.
In a minute released this afternoon, Coroner Tania Tetitaha said she must determine whether to resume the inquiry she had previously opened into Hanna’s death, which occurred in April 2021.
The inquiry was paused when police advised someone may be charged with a criminal offence.
Hanna’s husband Dr Philip Polkinghorne, the renowned Auckland eye surgeon, was charged with her murder in August 2022.
For eight weeks earlier this year, jurors listened intently to evidence from the Crown which alleged Polkinghorne murdered his 63-year-old wife at their home in Remuera. They also heard arguments from the defence which claimed Hanna took her own life.
Polkinghorne was found not guilty of Hanna’s murder on September 23.
However, he pleaded guilty at the outset of the trial to two minor charges: possession of a meth pipe and possession of meth.
Tetitaha’s minute said her office received a letter in April 2022, before Polkinghorne was charged with murder, from a lawyer acting for the eye surgeon complaining about delays.
“Delays in the police investigation and refusal to supply information, the delay in holding a coroner’s inquest and seeking copies of the postmortem report, toxicology and other medical reports relating to this death,” Tetitaha said.
A few days later Tetitaha issued a minute noting “no decision had been made regarding any inquest and seeking an update on criminal charges from police before releasing any documentation”.
The following month she was informed a decision was being made to charge a person in relation to Hanna’s death. Polkinghorne was then charged in August of that year.
Tetitaha‘s preliminary view is that her inquiry into Hanna’s death should now resume.
“I am not satisfied that the information currently available, including from the criminal trial, adequately establishes the cause or circumstances of Ms Hanna’s death,” she said.
Where a death appeared to be unnatural or violent, the coroner must consider whether this appeared to be due to the actions or inaction of another person, Tetitaha said.
“The matter of anyone else’s involvement in relation to Ms Hanna’s death remains undetermined.”
Another basis for conducting an inquiry is if there are any allegations, rumours, suspicions and public concerns about this death, Tetitaha said.
“The breadth of public concern about this death is evidenced by correspondence from various medical practitioners seeking access to documents on my files and substantial media interest in this death.”
Tetitaha said there were also indications that Hanna’s immediate family desired an inquiry.
Polkinghorne had been in contact with her office wanting to participate in any inquiry and had set out matters he wanted her to consider, Tetitaha said.
Hannah’s whānau had also provided expert reports that they believed should be taken into account for any inquiry, she said.
“In short, it appears to me that there is legitimate public interest in examining the causes and circumstances of this death and attempting to identify applicable recommendations and comments,” Tetitaha said.
A pre-inquest conference into Hanna’s death will be held in March.