Ex-cyclist avoids jail over role in wife's death

Rohan Dennis, an Australian former world champion cyclist, received a suspended jail sentence on May 14 for his role in a vehicle incident that fatally injured his wife, Melissa Hoskins, a fellow Olympic cyclist.

- Yan Zhuang

NEW YORK -

Hoskins was struck by a car driven by Dennis in December 2023 in Adelaide, the authorities said at the time. She later died of her injuries in a hospital at the age of 32.

In December 2024, Dennis pleaded guilty to one charge of committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm, which carried a maximum sentence of seven years. The 34-year-old was initially charged with dangerous driving causing death, and driving without due care, for which he could have faced 15 years in prison if convicted.

On May 14, a judge at the District Court of South Australia, in Adelaide, sentenced Dennis to a 17-month jail term. The sentence was suspended on a two-year good behaviour bond, meaning he will not serve jail time if he does not violate the conditions of the bond. Dennis was also barred from driving for five years.