Olympic cyclist pleads guilty over wife’s car death
Former cycling world champion Rohan Dennis has admitted killing his wife, Olympian Melissa Hoskins, in a crash in Australia.
On December 30, 2023, Hoskins was hit by a vehicle driven by Dennis outside his home in Adelaide and died in hospital.
The 34-year-old was initially charged with dangerous driving causing death and driving without due care, but on Tuesday he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge – an aggravated charge of creating likelihood of harm.
Dennis, who has two children with Hoskins, will be sentenced at a later date.
Little is known about the specific circumstances of Hoskins’ death.
However, Dennis’ guilty plea means he admitted to driving a car while Hoskins was nearby, knowing that such behavior might cause harm, or being indifferent to whether harm would be caused.
The retired athlete’s lawyer told the court: “Mr Dennis did not intend to harm his wife and this charge does not hold him responsible for her death.”
The death of Hoskins, the 2015 team pursuit world champion and two-time Olympian, sparked a wave of tributes from around the world.
She and Dennis married in 2018.
Dennis won stages in the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España during his career and will retire at the end of the 2023 season.
A multiple world champion in road and track, he won a bronze medal in the road time trial at Tokyo 2020 and a silver medal in the team pursuit at London 2012. He also won a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
