The defence in the Phliip Polkinghorne murder trial has indicated it plans to call evidence to show a link between a weight loss drug taken by Pauline Hanna and suicide.
Warning: This article contains content that could be disturbing to some people.
Cross examination of Hanna's doctor has been continuing at the High Court in Auckland.
Polkinghorne, 71, is accused of strangling his wife to death in Easter 2019.
The Crown says he then made it look like a suicide. But his defence is that he found his wife already dead in their home in Auckland's Remuera and she had taken her own life.
Hanna's doctor, who cannot be named, has been questioned at length about her medication and prescription history that spanned many years.
Hanna was a long-term user of the anti-depressant Prozac and another drug she took long-term, Duromine, and how it was prescribed has been repeatedly raised by the defence.
The drug was used for weight loss, but Hanna's doctor said she was prescribed it to maintain her weight,
She said it was not unusual for women of Hanna's age to be "obsessed" with their weight.
"Every woman from 50 onwards, they are all worried about their weight and how they look," the doctor said. "It's nothing out of the ordinary".
At one point after extensive questioning, defence barrister Hannah Stuart presented the Medsafe guidelines for the drug and questioned whether it had been prescribed to Hanna as intended.
Crown Prosecutor Alysha McClintock stood and interjected after several more questions about the Duromine prescriptions.
"Is there a suggestion between the prescription of Duramine and the death of Ms Hanna?" she asked Justice Lang.
Stuart conferred with lead defence lawyer Ron Mansfield and replied that evidence around Duramine use, particularly in connection with drinking and other drugs, would be linked with suicide in their defence.
"So you're going to call evidence on that?" Justice Lang asked.
Stuart replied she would.
The doctor also defended her handling of the time just before Christmas in 2019 when Hanna rang feeling suicidal.
"She had suicidal thoughts, she didn't have any plan," she said.
Where to get help. (Source: 1News)
Yesterday, the doctor told the court said she had asked Hanna if she planned to harm herself and then told her call a mental heath crisis team.
Evidence has also shown Hanna had sought help and medication to curb her drinking.
At one stage, she reported frequent black-outs and nightly bottles of wine.
Justice Lang asked the doctor whether she was aware of how Duromine interacted with alcohol.
'They're going to charge me with murder': Polkinghorne to wife's friend
A long-time friend of Pauline Hanna has recounted the phone call the Auckland woman's husband Philip Polkinghorne made to them following her death.
Thursday 11:26am
Polkinghorne trial: Pauline Hanna contacted GP about suicidal thoughts
Philip Polkinghorne, 71, is accused of killing his wife in Easter 2021.
Thursday 4:07pm
Friend of Pauline Hanna's dramatic strangulation re-enactment
Friends of Pauline Hanna and her husband, Philip Polkinghorne, who's accused of her murder, give evidence at the 71-year-old's murder trial in Auckland.
Wed, Aug 14
"Yes, but she was a well-functioning woman in all aspects of her life," the doctor said, adding that Hanna had been on medications for years.
"She was mentally OK, so I didn't have any reason to think different — she presented absolutely perfect."
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
