Murder accused Philip Polkinghorne transferred thousands of dollars to various women, including 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.
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.
"Yes," Skilton replied.
The trial is nearing the end of the Crown witnesses, at which point the defence will begin its case.
Polkinghorne and Hanna had combined net worth of $10.491 million
Skilton calculated Polkinghorne and Hanna have a combined net worth of $10.491 million.
This was made up of their $5.17m Remuera property where Hanna was found dead, their $1.93m Coromandel bach, a $1m annuity, $2.2 million of investments, and money in various bank accounts.
She said Polkinghorne "had control" over his wife's financial position by being an account signatory or a sole authority.
She said he was withdrawing significant amounts of cash each year.
Under cross-examination, defence lawyer Ron Mansfield asked if it mattered under relationship law what names things were registered under.
He queried: "If they chose to separate or one of them chose to leave the relationship, then assets, no matter whose name they're held in given the length of their marriage, would be divided by ordinarily fifty-fifty?"
Skilton replied this was the case.
"So it doesn't really matter, does it, what name a particular asset is held in," he asked.
Skilton said it did not.
The defence then picked up on Skilton's evidence that Polkinghorne had control over Hanna's accounts.
Mansfield asked if someone's partner would be able to use a bank card to access money if they knew the PIN.
Skilton said this was the case, but it was against bank rules.
Mansfield also raised the possibility of PayWave being able to be used, which did not require a PIN.
He asked Skilton to calculate in court Hanna's salary.
She worked this out to be broadly just over $200,000, paid into a joint account.
"If she so chose, for example, if she wanted to separate or wanted to prepare to separate somebody, then she could redirect that salary into another account, couldn't she?" Mansfield asked Skilton.
She replied this was the case.
"Because that would be something she would be able to control immediately?"
"Yes," she replied.
"So if she did that, she would have access to just under $6000 a fortnight?" he asked.
Skilton replied "yes".
Mansfield suggested Hanna would have enough money to look after herself if the pair had ever separated.
Skilton said this was the case.
He asked if it is normal for one partner to look after a relationship's finances, which Skilton agreed with.
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