Former Australian world champion cyclist Rohan Dennis has evaded incarceration for driving in a manner “likely to cause harm” before his vehicle struck and fatally injured his Olympian wife, Melissa Hoskins.
A judge in South Australia issued a suspended sentence of nearly 17 months, taking into account his guilty plea, expressions of remorse, and his role as the primary caregiver for their young children.
Dennis, at 34 years old, confessed last year to an “aggravated act likely to cause harm” regarding the road incident in December 2023, which resulted in the death of retired track cyclist Ms. Hoskins.
Despite this, Dennis, an Olympic medallist in 2012 and 2021, was not charged with causing her death.
Ms. Hoskins passed away in an Adelaide hospital due to her injuries.
She had leaped onto the car bonnet, but Dennis continued to drive slowly for up to ten seconds—a move deemed “inherently risky and dangerous,” according to the judge.
She dismounted at an intersection and then opened the door of the moving vehicle before Dennis reached out to close it and attempted to drive away, the judge noted.
“What transpired next is not part of the charge, as the prosecution acknowledges that, unbeknownst to you, your wife held onto the car as you accelerated down the street,” the judge stated.
“It was at that moment that she fell and lost her life.”
Ms. Hoskins, who represented Australia in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, succumbed to her injuries at an Adelaide hospital.
She participated in the Australian team that secured victory in the team pursuit event at the 2015 Track Cycling World Championships in France.
Dennis achieved triumph in the world time trials in both 2018 and 2019, alongside a stage win in the 2015 Tour de France.
“Describing the aftermath of the events on 30 December 2023 as tragic hardly encapsulates the grief, despair, and turmoil these events have inflicted upon those who cherished and loved your wife,” remarked the judge.
