Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis sentenced for driving recklessly before Melissa Hoskins’ death
Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis avoided a jail sentence after being convicted of driving recklessly before the death of his wife Melissa Hoskins.
The devastated family of Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins have delivered an emotional statement after her husband Rohan Dennis avoided jail for his actions leading up to her tragic death.
Ms Hoskins’ parents Peter and Amanda said their family would now try to “move on” from the horrific incident that rocked Australian sport, with the welfare of the couple’s two young children “front of mind”.
“It’s now time for us to move on, which would be Melissa’s expectations of us,” Peter said.
“Clearly we want to continue to be an integral part of their children’s lives and their future.
“How we do this in a meaningful way and relevant way will take time.
“With respect to Rohan, as hard as it is going to be, it is important that we also have a well-mannered relationship with him.
“(Our grandchildren) deserve this, they have done nothing wrong. We would like to thank everybody for their support of us.”
Dennis has avoided spending any time behind bars for driving recklessly before the death of Ms Hoskins.
Dennis stood in the dock at the South Australian District Court on Wednesday morning as Judge Ian Press delivered his sentence.
Dennis was sentenced to one-year-and-four-months’ jail, to be wholly suspended, and was placed on a two-year good behaviour bond. His licence was disqualified for five years.
Judge Press stressed Dennis was not being held responsible for Ms Hoskins’ death, but for his actions leading up to the tragic event.
“To describe the consequences of the events of December 30, 2023, as tragic, really does not do justice to the grief, the anguish and the turmoil those events have brought into the lives of those who knew and loved your wife Melissa,” Judge Press said.
“I accept you have a sense of responsibility for all that occurred. I accept you have anguished over what could have been different if you had acted in some other way … you are not charged with being criminally responsible for all of the events of that night and in particular you are not charged with causing the death of your wife.”
Peter said the family had not sought prison time for Dennis.
“We’ve got to remember there are two people caught up in this tragedy, and there are young children caught up in this tragedy, who have lost their mum,” he said.
“For them to go and lose their dad, albeit a temporary loss, I don’t think that would be ideal at all.
“From the outset, it wasn’t something that we were pursuing. The health and wellbeing of (our grandchildren) have been front of mind for us right from the word go. That remains the case.”
Dennis’ suspended sentence means he will return home and continue to care the two children, and brings to a close a dramatic 18-month legal process.
A blow-up over a kitchen renovation sparked the tragedy, with Dennis and Ms Hoskins arguing over costs at their leafy Medindie home in Adelaide’s inner-north.
Dennis left to get away from the exchange and took the family’s Volkswagen Amarok from the garage, driving off into the night.
But Ms Hoskins did not want him to leave and in tragic scenes, she jumped onto the bonnet of the car as Dennis drove down Medindie Lane, behind their home, going at about 20km/hr.
When Dennis pulled into Avenel Gardens Road, Ms Hoskins dismounted the bonnet and grabbed at the driver’s side door.
As Dennis accelerated away from the intersection, Ms Hoskins held onto the driver’s side door handle, the prosecution’s factual summary, tendered to the court and seen by NewsWire, states.
She tripped and was dragged under the vehicle as Dennis drove down Avenel Gardens Road.
When Dennis heard a “thump”, he stopped the car and ran to help her.
Ms Hoskins suffered critical injuries and later died at Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The breakdown happened in seconds.
CCTV footage recorded Ms Hoskins on the bonnet of the car for about six seconds.
The time between Ms Hoskins dismounting the vehicle and Dennis closing the driver’s side door and accelerating away from her was three seconds, the factual summary states, and the time between Dennis closing the door and Ms Hoskins falling under the wheel was about two seconds.
Dennis was punished for continuing to drive while Ms Hoskins was on the bonnet, which Judge Press slammed as “an inherently risky and dangerous act”, and for the act of accelerating at the intersection to get away from Ms Hoskins.
Judge Press said he had suspended the sentence due to Dennis’ guilty plea, his remorse, his personal circumstances and the circumstances of the offending, and his role as the sole carer of his children.
Dennis, 34, has no prior criminal history.
In a police interview, recorded just hours after the crash, Dennis said his wife was still alive and struggling to breathe in the aftermath of the accident.
“I rolled her onto her side ‘cos she seemed to be choking on something and I thought it might have been blood, and it was,” Dennis said.
“And then they gave – the neighbours they just gave me sort of a, a rug to sort of hold her head.
“I was holding that to try and stop any sort of bleeding. And just talking to her the whole time to try keep her awake.”
Ms Hoskins’ death sent shockwaves through Australia’s sporting community.
She 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.
Dennis snatched a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
In April, Ms Hoskins’ family confronted Dennis in court as he sat in the dock, relaying their pain and grief in an emotional hearing.
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.
Sister Jessica 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.
Amanda said she believed the event was a “tragic accident”.
“I know that you would never intentionally hurt her,” she said.
Jane Abbey KC, for Dennis, said her client 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.
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.
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