He claimed media allegations suggested Dennis was a “husband who abused his wife”.
“I have ALWAYS been against any sort of abuse against women and especially the one who gave birth to my children,” he said.
The statement came after Dennis’ controversial return to social media on March 18, which sparked backlash from human rights advocates.
Rohan Dennis has issued his first public statement, on Instagram, after receiving a suspended sentence over the death of his wife. Photo / Rohan Dennis
In the post, Dennis uploaded an image of a black Porsche on his Instagram account, which he described as an “absolute weapon”.
In Australian slang, the term “weapon” is often used to describe something impressive or highly skilled.
The post sparked backlash, with Victims’ Rights Commissioner Sarah Quick describing it as “deeply offensive and one that demonstrates a lack of empathy and insight”.
In his Instagram post, Dennis said the death was an accident and he had never meant to hurt his wife. Photo / Rohan Dennis
“Words matter and a vehicle should never be referred to as a weapon or regarded as a weapon, and the fact that Mr Dennis has chosen to do so is particularly shocking,” she told the ABC.
Hoskins died following an argument with Dennis about a kitchen renovation in December 2023.
A court heard Dennis took off in the family Volkswagen Amarok and started to drive away from the Adelaide home.
However, Hoskins ran outside to stop her husband from driving away, launching herself on the bonnet of the car as it drove behind the property at about 20km/h.
His late wife was also an accomplished cyclist, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics, representing Australia in the track cycling team pursuit team, who placed fourth.
She later competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics before retiring in 2017.
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