Former professional cyclist Rohan Dennis will be sentenced this morning over an incident which resulted in the death of his Olympian wife Melissa Hoskins outside their suburban Adelaide home in December 2023.
It heard the couple had been arguing about kitchen cupboards when the incident unfolded.
Members from Ms Hoskins’s family have previously told the court of their devastation at losing the mother-of-two, describing her death as “so unfair and tragic” and that Dennis’s temper was his “downfall” which “needs to be addressed”.
District Court Judge Ian Press will this morning impose the sentence.
The offence to which Dennis has pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment and a five-year loss of licence, but both prosecution and defence have agreed a suspended sentence would be appropriate in this case.
We’re providing live updates from the sentencing of Rohan Dennis.
2m agoTue 13 May 2025 at 11:57pm
Ms Hoskins’s parents attending sentencing
Among those at the court this morning are Ms Hoskins’s mother Amanda and father Peter.
Both also attended last month’s sentencing submissions, and delivered emotional victim impact statements.
“Melissa did not deserve to die and she certainly did not deserve the death that she suffered,” Mr Hoskins told the court in April.
Melissa Hoskins’s parents Amanda and Peter outside court. (ABC News: Marco Catalano)
Mrs Hoskins said her daughter’s death was “unfair and tragic” and told Dennis his temper was his “downfall and needs to be addressed”.
“Rohan, you loved Melissa, and I know that you would never intentionally hurt her,” she told the court.
“I believe this was a tragic accident and an accident that should never have happened.”
Melissa Hoskins died after she was struck by a car driven by Dennis outside their home on December 30, 2023.
At the time, SA Police said emergency services were called to Avenel Gardens Road in Medindie just after 8pm.
Police said the 32-year-old suffered serious injuries and was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment, but died later that night.
Ms Hoskins giving an interview during her time as a professional cyclist. (YouTube)
At a court hearing last month, Dennis’s lawyer Jane Abbey KC said CCTV footage of the collision revealed “a period of less than three seconds in which a lot is happening”.
She told the court the pair had earlier been engaged in a “domestic dispute”, and that the couple had previously agreed that when they fought, Dennis “would remove himself” from the situation.
Rohan Dennis has arrived at the Distict Court.
Rohan Dennis (right) outside SA’s District Court. (ABC News: Marco Catalano)
The hearing is listed for Courtroom 10 of the Sir Samuel Way Building in Victoria Square.
In sentencing hearings, the judge usually outlines the facts of the case before handing down the sentence.
The sentencing hearing has been set down for 9:15am.
The matter will be heard in the South Australian District Court.
Sentencing hearings usually take between about 10 and 30 minutes, depending on the complexities of a case. Dennis will be sentenced by District Court Judge Ian Press.
Dennis’s lawyer Jane Abbey KC arriving at court this morning. (ABC News: Marco Catalano)
Usually, at the start of a sentencing hearing, one of the first things the judge will do is outline the charge, whether there has been a plea and the maximum penalty applicable.
In this case, Dennis has pleaded guilty to an aggravated count of creating a likelihood of harm, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ prison and a five-year loss of licence.
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the sentencing of Rohan Dennis, the former professional cyclist who was arrested and charged over an incident which caused the death of his wife Melissa Hoskins.
It’s a case that has generated strong public interest, partly because of the high profile of Ms Hoskins and Dennis, both of whom were elite athletes and Olympians.
