1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,360 Speaker 1: So to the polking Horn murder trial. Today is the 2 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: first day of the defense for Philip Pulkinghorn. The first 3 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,960 Speaker 1: witness called was Pauline Hannah's sister Tracy, who said she 4 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: believes that Pauline Hannah committed suicide. Now the Crown has 5 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: argued that Philip Pulkinghorn killed his wife and staged it 6 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: as a suicide. In April twenty twenty one, Herold Court 7 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 1: reported Craig Capitana's with us. Now, Hey, Craig, Heather, what 8 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: did Ron Mansfield mean when he told the jury that 9 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: this is not the perfect murder? 10 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 2: He's bestical to say to the jury, Look, you have 11 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 2: two choices here. It's either were murder or a suicide. 12 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:32,839 Speaker 2: But if this was a murder, it would have had 13 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 2: to have been the perfect murder to have left no 14 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 2: forensic evidence inside the house. Sort of outsmart two pathologists. 15 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 2: Earlier in the trial, there were two pathologists who said 16 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 2: basically that they could only tell that she had died 17 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 2: from court that compression, so they couldn't say for certain 18 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 2: whether it was hanging her. Strangulation and circumstantial cases a 19 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 2: lot by times to have prosecutors say something along the 20 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 2: lines of either he is guilty or simply be a 21 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 2: muckiest man in the world to have all these random, 22 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 2: suspicious things happened against him. So this is basically Ron 23 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 2: Mansfield kind of turning things on their head, saying either 24 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 2: he's not guilty or he's committed the purpose murder. 25 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 1: What did Pauline Hanna, Pauline Hannah's sister say when she appeared. 26 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 2: Well, the main thing we learned today was that sometime 27 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:18,559 Speaker 2: in the early nineties, after the death of their father, 28 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 2: Pauline Hands supposedly told her that she had attempted suicide 29 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 2: during kind of in the heat of the moment during 30 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 2: an argument the farmstead in Hawk's Bay. Defense had mentioned 31 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 2: this earlier in the trial during cross examination of another witness, 32 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 2: but this is the first time Jeers heard it directly 33 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 2: from the source. It's also the first time they kind 34 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 2: of got a feeling for this painful family risked with 35 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 2: her on one side and her brother just fine for 36 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 2: the crown. 37 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, very much. Now it's being confirmed that Philip Polkinhorn 38 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: himself is not going to take the stand, how did 39 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: Ron Mansfield explain that. 40 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, he basically said, police, I've already kind of had 41 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 2: the shot at his client and kind did him dirty 42 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 2: the first time, so he's not going to let it 43 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 2: happen again. Jurors earlier in the trial. I've already watched 44 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 2: the video interview that they did with him just a 45 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 2: couple hours after his wife's death. He didn't realize at 46 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 2: the time that he was a suspect, so he was 47 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 2: unguarded and formal, his lawyer said, not realizing that quote's 48 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 2: going to be broadcast at the Nation later on. He's 49 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 2: referring to this trial. He said, basically, any testimony that 50 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 2: he gave on the stand now would be a distraction 51 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 2: because it would allow prosecutors to build more into his 52 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 2: sex life and drug use, and says that's not really 53 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 2: relevant to the cold heart evidence in this trial. Of course, 54 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,359 Speaker 2: prosecutors would probably strongly disagree with that contention. 55 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: Craig, one of the surprises in the last few days 56 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: was that Madison Ashton, the mistress, was on the witness 57 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: list for the prosecution, but didn't appear. Did we learn why. 58 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 2: No, I have to be very guarded. I can't say 59 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 2: anything that's not said to the jury, but I can't 60 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 2: tell you that the jury is also curious about this. 61 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 2: They sent out a message to the judge earlier today 62 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 2: asking why she hasn't testified when she was on the list, 63 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 2: and the judge basically said, look, you have all the 64 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 2: evidence before you. I can't comment on that. You just 65 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 2: kind of have to take it as it is. But 66 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 2: you can't use that to infer anything as well. It's 67 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 2: just what it is. 68 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 1: And is it the first day that Philip Polkinghorn's kids 69 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: were actually there? 70 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 2: Yeah? I believe so. I'm in an odd position in 71 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 2: the courtroom where don't get to look behind me too often, 72 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 2: but it did seem that that was the first day there. 73 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: Craig, it's good to talk to you. Thank you very much, 74 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: really appreciated Craig Captain, the Herald's court reporter, and sorry 75 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: about the quality of the line. 76 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 2: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 77 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 2: news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 78 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.