Former Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has urged the media to “back off” in his first public comments since he faced court in relation to the death of his wife, fellow cyclist Melissa Hoskins.
Dennis, 35, received a suspended jail sentence in May last year after Hoskins, 32, was fatally struck by his vehicle near their home in Medindie, in Adelaide’s inner north, on December 30, 2023.
The statement comes after Dennis drew criticism last month for an Instagram post describing his car, a Porsche that was not the vehicle involved in the incident, as an “absolute weapon”.
In a new Instagram message, Dennis defended that post and said he loved his wife, rejecting suggestions he was violent. “The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt her,” Dennis wrote. “Never in my life has any physical aggression crossed my mind in any disagreement with Melissa. “The narrative which the media ran with was clear they wanted me to look like the husband who abused his wife.”
He also alleged his family has been mistreated since Hoskins’ death and the court proceedings, claiming journalists confronted him at an airport the day after she died and asked inappropriate questions. Dennis said reporters made “disgusting” remarks in front of his children and asked if he was a murderer.
“The media speak about the children and how saddened they are for the children,” Dennis continued. “Yet they happily stalk, follow and harass not just adults in my family but even when the kids are involved.”
Dennis said his words had been misrepresented and insisted he never used a vehicle to harm anyone. “Dennis said his words had been ‘twisted’ and that he never ‘intentionally or unintentionally used a vehicle as a weapon’.” He added, “Never was it legally said that I did either. “The video footage of the accident also proves this statement.” He ended with a direct appeal: “Time for all you so called [sic] journalists and media outlets to back off and leave my family alone.”
After Dennis’ earlier post about his car, Victims’ Rights Commissioner Sarah Quick called it “deeply offensive”. “It also reflects a profound lack of respect for Melissa and her family, who continue to live with the consequences of that harm every day,” Quick said in a statement.
Dennis pleaded guilty to committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm, but was not held criminally responsible for Hoskins’ death. He received a 17-month suspended prison term with a two-year good behaviour bond, and was disqualified from driving for two years.
During sentencing submissions in the South Australian District Court last year, Hoskins’ mother Amanda told the court her daughter had loved Dennis and said, “and I know that you would never intentionally hurt her”. She added, “I believe this is a tragic accident. Your temper is your downfall and needs to be addressed.”
Dennis is a former elite road cyclist who won two world titles in the road time trial, along with Olympic medals in the team pursuit at the 2012 Games and the road time trial at the Tokyo Olympics.
