Philip Polkinghorne. Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
- A forensic pathologist is giving evidence as an expert witness called by the defence of Philip Polkinghorne.
- The Crown argues a combination of financial problems, infidelity and drug use led to Polkinghorne murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna.
- The defence argues Hanna ended her life after struggling with depression for many years.
Philip Polkinghorne's defence has called an expert forensic pathologist to give evidence on whether Pauline Hanna died by suicide or was murdered.
Polkinghorne is on trial at the Auckland High Court, accused of killing Hanna and staging her death as a suicide. The defence maintains Hanna died by suicide and had a history of depression.
The front row of the gallery was again taken up with Hanna's family on Wednesday.
Earlier in the trial, Crown pathologist Dr Kilak Kesha told the court there was an absence of things typical of death by hanging, and said her death could have been caused by several different mechanisms - one of them partial hanging.
Melbourne-based forensic pathologist Dr Stephen Cordner of Monash University told the jury the cause of death "can be stated as a fact in a relatively small number of cases".
"Some of what I'm gonna be talking about is pretty grim stuff, and I apologise for that."
Cordner said his role was to examine the injuries - or the absence of them - related to death by strangulation, or death by a partial hanging.
"The question here is had the deceased been killed, or did she kill herself? If she's been killed, then that means assault. So then, are there injuries that are commonly associated with assault?
"It's a general appreciation in forensic pathology that people who are strangled either manually or via ligature, also, in a very significant number of instances, have injuries of general assault."
He said looking for those characteristic features was an important step. Crown pathologists noted there were no signs of traumatic injuries around Hanna's neck, typical of a strangulation.
Defence lawyer Ron Mansfield, KC, spent some time reviewing how Cordner would approach a scene examination.
"In a case where there was a report of suicide by hanging, presumably there would be some focus while you were at the scene of that part of their body, around their neck, to see if there was any injury or mark that might be noted," Mansfield questioned.
Cordner said he would take a photograph to record it, and measure if possible.
In cross-examining Kesha, Mansfield questioned why a horizontal ligature mark on Hanna's neck was not photographed at the scene and included in an autopsy report. There were also a number of bruises on Hanna's body.
"Is there possibility for injuries to occur in the movement of a body, a deceased body into a body bag, and then the movement of the body through to the pathology unit where the autopsy takes place. Is there room for some injury to occur through that process?" Mansfield asked Cordner.
"Very occasionally significant injury, but I don't think that's an issue here - but yes, minor injuries yes," he replied.
Cordner's evidence, including findings relating to Hanna's death, continues.
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