Philip Polkinghorne will not be giving evidence at his murder trial.
Defence lawyer Ron Mansfield, KC, gave his opening address on Friday and confirmed Polkinghorne would not give evidence in court.
He said there was nothing to be gained by him speaking and the best evidence came from his police interview, which the court has seen.
Polkinghorne arrived at court on Friday accompanied by his sister Ruth Hughes and three adult sons — Taine, Ben and John Polkinghorne.
Hanna’s family were also present, including her brother Bruce Hanna and sister Tracey Hanna.
The Crown argues that Polkinghorne, a former eye surgeon, murdered his wife, Pauline Hanna on Easter Monday in 2021 and staged it as a suicide.
Polkinghorne’s defence argues she committed suicide after struggles with depression and pressures from her work in managing the Covid-19 vaccine rollout during the pandemic.
rnz.co.nz
