Melissa Hoskins’ family faces Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis in court

The family of Olympian Melissa Hoskins have laid bare their pain and grief in an emotional court hearing, claiming her cyclist husband has never apologised.

The family of Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins have confronted her husband Rohan Dennis with their pain and grief in an emotional court hearing, more than a year after her death.

Ms Hoskins died when she was struck by a car driven by fellow Olympian Dennis after an argument at their leafy Adelaide home in the early evening of December 30, 2023.

As Dennis drove away from the home, Ms Hoskins jumped on the bonnet of the dark grey Volkswagen Amarok and then ran beside the vehicle.

She was struck and injured after reaching for a door handle and later died at Royal Adelaide Hospital, sending shockwaves through Australia’s cycling community.

Dennis, 44, pleaded guilty to driving recklessly before her death and acting in a way likely to cause harm in December last year.

The Hoskins family faced Dennis at Adelaide District Court on Monday, where he sat in the dock as they delivered their victim impact statements.

Ms Hoskins’ father Peter broke down when he spoke about the impact the tragic event would have on the couple’s two children, who he called the family’s “silent grievers”.

“The silent grievers too young to realise the present and future impact of their mother’s loss on their lives,” he said.

Peter said when the police delivered the news of Ms Hoskins’ death, he was unable to process the devastating development and was overwhelmed with “disbelief, anger and confusion”.

He said night-time continued to be a struggle, and he would regularly wake up and think about his beloved daughter and the “fragility of life”.

Cyclist Rohan Dennis has pleaded guilty to acting in a way likely to cause harm. Picture: NewsWire / Brenton Edwards. Picture: NewsWire / Dean Martin

Sister Jessica said she continued to have nightmares about the event and would sometimes wake up in the night and see the faces of the policeman who had informed her of the terrible news.

“It’s not something that will ever pass,” she said.

“I will live with this every single day while I’m alive.”

She also said the family had not received an apology from Dennis for his actions.

“No remorse has been shown,” she said.

Peter said an “apology and some sort of explanation” from Dennis would help his family with their grieving process.

Ms Hoskins’ mother Amanda said she believed the event was a “tragic accident”.

“I know that you would never intentionally hurt her,” she said.

Dennis has admitted to driving a motor vehicle without lawful excuse while Ms Hoskins was on or in proximity to the vehicle, knowing that act was likely to cause harm to another and being recklessly indifferent to whether such harm was caused.

He is not being held responsible for Ms Hoskins’ death.

The maximum penalty for the offence is seven years’ jail.

Monday’s hearing before Judge Ian Press delivered fresh details into the circumstances of the tragedy.

The court was told a domestic argument about money for a kitchen renovation had spilled out from the home to the street.

Dennis competed in the London, Brazil and Tokyo Olympics. Picture: NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

Melissa Hoskins and Dennis were both champion cyclists. Picture: Supplied

Jane Abbey KC, for Dennis, said it was the “sort of thing that husbands and wives disagree about all the time”.

Ms Abbey said “emotions would run hot” between the pair a couple of times a year, and that the pair had “an agreed strategy” in place that Dennis would leave the home and spend some time alone to allow both of them to calm down before returning to settle the dispute.

But on this occasion, Ms Hoskins didn’t want him to leave and followed him as he left, Ms Abbey said.

Dennis drove the car down Medindie Lane at an estimated speed of 20km/hr.

CCTV footage recorded Ms Hoskins on the bonnet for about six seconds.

Ms Hoskins was struck at the intersection of Medindie Lane and Avenel Gardens Road.

As he turned into the road, Prosecutor Tali Costi said Dennis did not know Ms Hoskins was holding onto the car, but said a part of his offending involved an initial act of acceleration, knowing Ms Hoskins was close to the vehicle.

Ms Abbey said Dennis did not know Melissa was “near the car or on it”.

She added Dennis was “in love” with Ms Hoskins at the time of her death.

“He loved her as his best friend, as his partner and as the mother to his children,” she said.

Ms Abbey asked Judge Press to suspend any sentence he might impose, stressing there was no intent or malice on the part of Dennis, there was no concern about his future prospects and a jail sentence would further disrupt his two children.

A memorial service was held for Melissa Hoskins at Adelaide Town Hall in February 2024 Picture: ABC / Brant Cumming

Judge Press will sentence Dennis on May 14.

The athlete’s change of fortune has been swift and shocking.

Just three years ago, he stood on a podium in Tokyo and celebrated his place in sporting history as an individual Olympic medallist.

He first achieved fame at the 2012 London Olympics, nabbing a silver medal in the 4000m team pursuit on the cycling track.

At Brazil in 2016, he finished in fifth place in the individual time trial, but perhaps his crowning achievement was his bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics on July 28, 2021.

In memorable scenes at the Fuji International Speedway, he clinched the medal with a time of 56:08.09.

He and Ms Hoskins became engaged in 2017.

She had competed in the London and Rio Olympics in track cycling, only just missing out on a medal in London after finishing fourth in the 3000m team pursuit category.

In Rio, she finished fifth in the 4000m team pursuit.

The couple got married in 2018 and would settle into a home in up-market Medindie in Adelaide’s inner-north.

Originally published as Melissa Hoskins’ family faces Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis in court