Murder accused Philip Polkinghorne transferred thousands of dollars to various women, including high class Australian escort Madison Ashton, the High Court in Auckland heard this morning.
Polkinghorne, 71, is on trial for allegedly murdering his wife Pauline Hanna in 2021.
He denies the charge and said he found her dead after she killed herself in their Remuera home.
Part of the Crown's case has been that Polkinghorne was trapped in a web of infidelity, money troubles and drug use.
The defence, in turn, has suggested Hanna had thought about and attempted suicide before and was in a stressful job.
Soon after the trial started, it heard from witnesses who said Polkinghorne was a regular visitor to a woman thought be a sex worker on Auckland's North Shore.
It has also heard that Polkinghorne was at a South Island lakeside lodge with Ashton just weeks after Pauline Hanna's death.
Forensic accountant Margaret Skilton has continued her evidence today.
Forensic accountant Margaret Skilton. (Source: 1News)
She said her investigations found bank transfers of more than $106,000 made to Ashton from one of Polkinghorne's accounts.
Separate to this, there were ATM cash withdrawals made in Australia worth around $115,000 New Zealand dollars.
Skilton said these ATM withdrawals appeared to be made when Polkinghorne was not in Australia – but Ashton was.
Several other bank transfers, all to women, were detailed.
There was an automatic payment of $500 a week made to the Alaria Family Trust, which later reduced to $350 a week, Skilton said.
Alaria was the name of the woman believed to be a North Shore sex worker.
There were also various on-off transfers over a period of time, totalling almost $56,000, the witness said.
On top of this, almost $6000 was transferred to the woman directly, Skilton continued.
"They are all females?" Crown prosecutor Brian Dickey asked at one stage.
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"Yes," Skilton replied.
The trial is nearing the end of the Crown witnesses, at which point the defence will begin its case.
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