A seventeen-month suspended prison sentence: this is the penalty against Rohan Dennis, convicted of causing the death of his wife, Melissa Hoskins, at the end of 2023, when the vehicle he was driving had run her over during an argument between the two. The Adelaide court found the Australian guilty of dangerous driving, but not criminally responsible for homicide.

The Court took into account that Dennis had pleaded guilty to the (aggravated) charge of "assuming behavior that caused harm", but rejected the charge of manslaughter. It also considered the remorse shown by the former two-time world time trial champion (2014 and 2015) as well as his status as the now sole parent of the couple's young children. The Australian will consequently not go to prison, benefiting from a two-year suspended sentence. His driver's license will be revoked for five years.

In court, Judge Ian Press described the "tragic events" of December 30, 2023, which occurred during an argument between the two spouses about home renovation work. According to the reconstruction of events, Melissa Hoskins, also a former track cyclist, "would have clung" to the car's hood while the now 34-year-old tried to leave the scene. The man then continued to drive at low speed for ten seconds, before his wife tried to open a door to enter the vehicle. An act deemed intrinsically dangerous, but without the intent to harm his wife. The prosecution acknowledges that, "unbeknownst to him", his wife clung "to the car while driving". It was then that "she fell, dying subsequently from the injuries sustained", the magistrate declared.

During the trial, the defense stated that Dennis "had been reckless, but had no intention of killing" his wife. An assessment also shared by the victim's mother, Amanda Hoskins, who in her testimony in court had stated that her daughter "loved Rohan: I know you would never intentionally harm her", adding, however, addressing her son-in-law, that his character "is your downfall and must be addressed".

Melissa Hoskins had represented Australia during the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, before retiring the following year. Dennis, also born as a track specialist, won two world titles in team pursuit in 2010 and 2011, as well as a silver medal in this discipline during the London Olympics. On the road, he collected several stage victories in Grand Tours, including one at the 2015 Tour de France, and an Olympic silver in 2021. A Jumbo-Visma rider, he had retired at the end of 2022.