Australian sex worker Madison Ashton has asked to give evidence at the inquest into the death of Auckland health manager Pauline Hanna.
Hanna, who managed the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine as an executive director at Counties Manukau Health, died in her Remuera home on April 5, 2021.
Her husband, former Auckland eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne, was found not guilty of murdering her after an eight-week trial last year.
The Crown argued Polkinghorne killed his wife after a possible violent struggle, while he may have been under the influence of methamphetamine.
The defence maintained Hanna died by suicide after many years of struggling with depression, compounded by work-related stress.
Ashton – Polkinghorne’s former lover – was called as a witness for the Crown but did not turn up during the trial.
She told other media she decided not to give evidence at the trial due to being unhappy with the police’s treatment of her.
Ashton had since approached Coroner Tania Tetitaha’s office, indicating she had evidence relevant to the circumstances of Hanna’s death.
This could now be revealed as the Coroner lifted a previous non-publication order.
The next pre-inquest conference is set down for August.
rnz.co.nz
