Rohan Dennis received a suspended sentence and a two-year good behaviour bond for reckless driving.
Melissa Hoskins’ family emphasised the welfare of the couple’s two young children.
Judge Ian Press stressed Dennis was held responsible not for Hoskins’ death, but for his actions before it.
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.
Hoskins’ parents, Peter and Amanda Hoskins, said their family would now try to “move on” from the horrific incident that rockedAustralian 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 Hoskins said.
“Clearly we want to continue to be an integral part of their children’s lives and their future.
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. He was disqualified from driving for five years.
“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.
Rohan Dennis' sentencing ends an 18-month legal process that attracted much media attention. Photo / NewsWire, Brenton Edwards
“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 Hoskins 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 well-being 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 for 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 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 Hoskins did not want him to leave, and in tragic scenes, she jumped on to the bonnet of the car as Dennis drove down Medindie Lane, behind their home, going about 20km/h.
When Dennis pulled into Avenel Gardens Rd, Hoskins dismounted the bonnet and grabbed at the driver’s side door.
As Dennis accelerated away from the intersection, Hoskins held on to the driver’s side door handle, states the prosecution’s factual summary, tendered to the court and seen by NewsWire.
She tripped and was dragged under the vehicle as Dennis drove down Avenel Gardens Rd.
When Dennis heard a “thump”, he stopped the car and ran to help her.
Hoskins suffered critical injuries and later died at Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The breakdown happened in seconds.
CCTV footage recorded Hoskins on the bonnet of the car for about six seconds.
The time between 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 Hoskins falling under the wheel was about two seconds.
Rohan Dennis and Melissa Hoskins were both world-class athletes. Photo / News.com.au
Dennis was punished for continuing to drive while 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 Hoskins.
Judge Press said he had suspended the sentence because of 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 after the accident.
“I rolled her on to 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.”
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, 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, whom he called the family’s “silent grievers”.
Jane Abbey, KC, for Dennis, said her client was “in love” with 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 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.
