Olympic cyclist’s jail term suspended over wife’s death
Abe Maddison |
Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has received a suspended jail sentence over a road incident that led to the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins.
Dennis, 34, appeared in South Australia’s District Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a charge of committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm.
Judge Ian Press told Dennis that describing 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”.
Ms Hoskins, 32, was struck by his vehicle near their home at Medindie, in Adelaide’s inner north. She suffered serious injuries and died in Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The court has been told the couple had argued over kitchen renovations before Dennis left their home and drove away.
The same single-mindedness that them both highly successful athletes “could sometimes lead to you both taking an intractable position during some dispute”, 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.”
It was important to acknowledge Dennis was not charged with causing the death of his wife, Judge Press said.
Ms Hoskins had jumped onto his car bonnet.
Driving at any speed when a person is on the bonnet was “an inherently risky and dangerous act”, Judge Press said.
After Ms Hoskins got off the bonnet, she opened the door, which Dennis closed without stopping.
“Unbeknownst to you, your wife held onto the car as you accelerated down the street. It was then that she fell and lost her life,” Judge Press said.
He noted that Dennis’s “stoic presentation does not necessarily mean you do not feel a sense of guilt for all that happened”.
Dennis was impassive in the dock as the judge sentenced him to one year, four months and 28 days in jail, reduced from two years and two months because of his guilty plea.
“Given your plea of guilty, your remorse, that you are the sole carer for your young children, and given all your other personal circumstances and the circumstances of the offending, I am satisfied that good reason exists to suspend that sentence,” Judge Press said.
Dennis agreed to a $100, two-year good behaviour bond and his driver’s licence was also suspended for five years.
The judge warned him that any breach of the driving suspension would be a breach of the bond and Dennis would be jailed.
Outside court, Ms Hoskins’ father Peter said it was time for the family to move on “which would be Melissa’s expectation of us”.
“We want to continue to be an integral part of her children’s lives and their future. How we do this in a meaningful way and a relevant way will take time,” he said.
“With respect to Rohan, as hard as it’s going to be, it’s important that we have a well-mannered relationship with him. (The children) deserve this. They have done nothing wrong.”
His voice breaking, Mr Hoskins said “we miss Melissa terribly”.
The family had not yet received an apology from Dennis, “but I’m sure that will come in time”, he said.
“There are two young children caught up in this tragedy,” 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 (a jail term) wasn’t something we were pursuing.”
Ms Hoskins competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics on the track in the team pursuit and was in the squad that won the 2015 world title.
Dennis won two world titles in the road time trial, as well as silver in the team pursuit at the 2012 Olympics and bronze in the road time trial at the Tokyo Olympics.
AAP
