Madison Ashton refused to give evidence at Philip Polkinghorne's trial, but is a potential witness at the coronial inquest into Pauline Hanna’s death.
Photo / Michael Craig
Madison Ashton refused to give evidence at Philip Polkinghorne's trial, but is a potential witness at the coronial inquest into Pauline Hanna’s death.
Photo / Michael Craig
Philip Polkinghorne’s former lover may give evidence at the coroner’s inquest into the death of Pauline Hanna.
Sex worker Madison Ashton, 50, can now be named as a potential witness after a coroner’s name suppression order was lifted.
Lawyer Emma Finlayson-Davis was appointed by Coroner Tania Tetitahato assist Ashton to prepare her evidence.
Finlayson-Davis obtained interim name suppression relating to Ashton’s involvement as a potential witness, but that lapsed on May 26.
Polkinghorne’s lawyers supported the application but they also told Coroner Tania Tetitaha in May that they did not want to pursue it.
A coronial inquest into how Pauline Hanna died will be held in August 2025. 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.
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
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.
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.
