Pauline Hanna and Phillip Polkinghorne's Remuera mansion hasn't yet sold. The For Sale sign outside was vandalised with the word "killer" written in vivid pink spray paint.
Composite photo / NZME
Pauline Hanna and Phillip Polkinghorne's Remuera mansion hasn't yet sold. The For Sale sign outside was vandalised with the word "killer" written in vivid pink spray paint.
Composite photo / NZME
The For Sale sign outside the multimillion-dollar Auckland mansion where health executive Pauline Hanna died has been spray-painted in hot pink with the word “Killer”.
A tradesman who works near the Upland Rd, Remuera property at the centre of Hanna’s murder trial told the Herald he noticedthe sign outside the house was vandalised on Friday morning.
The double-storey home in Remuera that belonged to Philip Polkinghorne and his late wife Pauline Hanna. The real estate sign was seen vandalised on Friday morning with the word "Killer" in hot pink spraypaint.
Philip Polkinghorne was acquitted of his wife’s death in September – but the tradesman told the Herald the former eye surgeon is still viewed with anger by some in the neighbourhood.
“[Locals] felt sorry for his poor wife, him having sex with other women while he was still married to her and smoking meth. He just roams around Remuera walking his dog like nothing’s happened,” the man said.
The tradesman, who asked not to be named, claimed he had seen Polkinghorne, 72, at the house and walking ‘Winston’, a French bulldog.
Auckland eye doctor Philip Polkinghorne with his former lover Madison Ashton. Photo / Supplied
In February the Herald reported the two-storey mansion was back on the market, having twice failed to sell since Hanna’s death at Easter 2021.
The infamous four-bedroom home now has an updated Auckland Council property valuation of $6,650,000.
At trial, jurors were shown police photos and given a video tour of the Remuera house as the Crown argued its case. The jury also visited the property.
Records show Polkinghorne transferred ownership to his sister Ruth Hughes in December, and a mortgage was lodged against the property the same day.
Philip Polkinghorne with his sister Ruth Hughes. The Remuera house was transferred into her name in December. Photo / Dean Purcell
Property law expert Joanna Pidgeon, a director at Pidgeon Judd, previously said it was not uncommon for people with recognisable names, who had been subject to media scrutiny, to transfer property to spouses or relatives when they sought to sell it, intending to “de-link their name from the property – so ... their personal reputation is removed from the property”.
Polkinghorne is believed to have amassed significant legal bills after successfully defending the murder charge.
Philip Polkinghorne is believed to have amassed significant legal bills after successfully defending the murder charge. Photo / Dean Purcell
Pidgeon noted real estate agents may have duties to disclose when selling a house if there had been a murder or suicide at the property, depending on how long ago the event happened, among other considerations.
Bayleys Remuera real estate agent Gary Wallace said there has been interest in the property, but it’s still available.
The property has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, with ocean views from the second storey. The vandalised For Sale sign has been removed.
Philip Polkinghorne declined to comment.
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 a 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.
