Cyclist pleads guilty to driving with suspended licence after crash that killed wife

Former Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and could face a prison sentence after having his licence suspended following the death of his wife Melissa Hoskins.

The 36-year-old was banned from driving for five years after he struck Hoskins, also a former professional cyclist and Olympian, with a car in December 2023.

The court heard that the couple, who married in 2018 and had two children, had argued at their home in Medindie, Adelaide before Dennis got in his car, with Hoskins jumping on the bonnet before holding onto the door as Dennis continued to drive. She fell and was struck by the car, sustaining serious injuries, and later died in hospital.

Dennis pleaded guilty to a charge of committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm and received a 17-month suspended sentence but was not held criminally responsibly for Hoskins’ death.

He was also initially charged with causing death by dangerous driving and an aggravated charge of driving without due care, but prosecutors later dropped the more serious charges.

Dennis also agreed to a $100, two-year good behaviour bond when he was sentenced in May last year, and was warned by judge Ian Press that a violation of his five-year driving ban would constitute a breach of that bond and warrant jail time.

Police reported Dennis for driving while disqualified on 11 June, with two children as passengers, and his car was impounded for 28 days.

He appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday, where he was silent as his lawyer pleaded guilty to the charge on his behalf.

The charge will be dealt with in district court, where he will also appear in September for breaching the good behaviour bond.

Hoskins was a popular and highly respected cyclist, a two-time Olympian competing on the track and world champion in the team pursuit in 2015. Dennis is a two-time world time trial champion and double Olympic medallist.

Dennis was widely criticised in March this year for posting a picture of a Porsche on social media alongside the caption “What an absolute weapon”, 10 months after he was given the suspended sentence.

South Australia’s commissioner for victims’ rights, Sarah Quick, said the post was “deeply offensive” and demonstrated “a profound lack of respect for Melissa and her family” as well as “a clear lack of insight into the real and lasting impact of the harm he has caused”.