From world champion to courtroom: Tomorrow will finally bring a verdict in Dennis' case, who faces 7 years in prison

For Rohan Dennis, Friday will be a tense day. The former rider for teams like Visma | Lease a Bike and INEOS Grenadiers will hear the court’s verdict in the case concerning the death of his wife, Melissa Hoskins, who was also active as a cyclist. The two-time time trial world champion already pleaded guilty in December to the aggravated charge of "creating likelihood of harm." He faces a possible seven years in prison and a five-year driving ban, according to Het Laatste Nieuws.

Let’s go back in time for a moment. On December 30, 2023, the tragic news broke that Dennis had run over his wife, Hoskins, with his pickup truck near their home in Medindie, Adelaide. Hoskins, who had also raced in the Netherlands in the past, suffered severe injuries and later died in the hospital. Dennis was quickly arrested and released on bail after a few days in custody.

Three charges against Dennis

After being released on bail, it became clear that the Australian would face three charges: dangerous driving, careless driving, and endangering a person’s life, resulting in death. The case then went quiet for some time until early December 2024.

On December 10, 2024, Dennis’ lawyer, Jane Abbey KC, announced that the defense and the prosecutors had reached an agreement: the prosecutors would drop the three original charges, while Dennis would plead guilty to an aggravated charge of creating likelihood of harm due to recklessness.

Read more below.

Dennis along with Hoskins

Shared passions

Hoskins was well-known in Australia as a talented track cyclist and also competed on the road. She represented her country at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016, but her greatest achievement came in 2015. Alongside Annette Edmondson, Ashlee Ankudinoff, and Amy Cure, she won the world championship team pursuit on the track in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. She also won a silver medal in the team time trial at the 2012 World Championships in Valkenburg, the Netherlands. Hoskins retired from professional cycling in 2017 and married Dennis in 2018, with whom she had two children.

Dennis ended his own career at the end of 2023. He was crowned world time trial champion in 2018 and 2019 and achieved the rare feat of winning stages in all three Grand Tours: the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, and La Vuelta. In 2015, he also won the overall classification of the Tour Down Under and managed to secure a stage win in the same WorldTour race during his final season. Like Hoskins, Dennis was also a strong track cyclist in his earlier years, winning the team pursuit world title for Australia in 2010 and 2011.

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