Former professional cyclist Rohan Dennis has been given a suspended sentence over the crash which caused the death of his wife, Melissa Hoskins. Ms Hoskins – an Olympian and former professional cyclist died while she was struck by a car being driven by Dennis outside their home in December 2023.
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00:00The judge said there was good reason to suspend Dennis' sentence given his early guilty plea,
00:07his show of remorse and his lack of prior offending.
00:11He said he also took into consideration the care of the pair's two children,
00:15who were both aged under eight years old,
00:17saying it's important for Dennis to still be in their lives.
00:21Miss Hoskins was killed outside the couple's Medindi home in Adelaide's Inner North in December 2023
00:26after she was struck by a car driven by Dennis.
00:30Today, the judge said Dennis was single-minded in trying to leave the area to de-escalate an argument,
00:35but that he held an obligation to stop the car when it became dangerous to Miss Hoskins' physical well-being.
00:42The judge said Dennis was not charged with causing the death of his wife,
00:46but rather the events leading up to her death.
00:48Miss Dennis' family was emotional throughout the hearing,
00:52and outside court addressed the media saying they are relieved the process is over
00:55and that Melissa would want them to move on.
00:58It's now time for us to move on, which would be Melissa's expectations of us.
01:06Clearly, we want to continue to be an integral part of their children's lives and their future.
01:15How we do this in a meaningful way and a relevant way will take time
01:21as we refocus on our life going forward without Melissa.
01:25Dennis didn't comment after the hearing.
01:28Dennis didn't comment after the hearing.