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Former cycling world champion Rohan Dennis has publicly accused the media of creating a false narrative around him, following his suspended jail sentence last year over the death of his wife, Melissa Hoskins.
Ms Hoskins, an Olympic track cyclist and former world champion, tragically died in 2023 after being struck by a car driven by Dennis in an inner northern suburb of Adelaide.
The court heard that she had held onto the vehicle as he attempted to drive off following an argument, causing her to fall.
Dennis admitted to an aggravated count of creating the likelihood of harm. The judge, while noting he had disregarded his wife’s safety, stated that he was not criminally responsible for her death.
Dennis was subsequently sentenced to one year, four months and 28 days in jail, suspended for two years, and received a five-year suspension of his driver’s licence.
Melissa Hoskins (right) was pronounced dead after being rushed to Royal Adelaide hospital in 2023 (Instagram/Rohan Dennis)
In a statement shared on social media, Dennis asserted his love for his wife and denied any intention to harm her.
“The narrative which the media ran with was clear. They wanted me to look like the husband who abused his wife,” the 35-year-old wrote.
He further criticised media outlets, stating: “The media speak about the children and how saddened they are for the children. Yet they happily stalk, follow and harass not just adults in my family but even when the kids are involved.”
Dennis concluded by demanding: “They know I never intentionally or unintentionally used a vehicle as a weapon… Time for all you so called journalists and media outlets to back off and leave my family alone.”
Both Dennis and Ms Hoskins were highly decorated athletes. Dennis secured two time trial world titles, a team pursuit silver at the 2012 Olympics, and a time trial bronze at the Tokyo Games.
Ms Hoskins won team pursuit gold at the 2015 world championships and represented Australia at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.