Australian cyclist Rohan Dennis faces jail time after pleading guilty to a charge related to the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins, last year.
Dennis pleaded guilty to an aggravated charge of “creating likelihood of harm,” according to the BBC and The Guardian, among other outlets. The charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
The 34-year-old had initially been charged with dangerous driving causing death and driving without due care, for which he would have faced up to 15 years in jail if convicted.
Dennis’ attorney, Jane Abbey, noted that the new charge was “on the basis of recklessness,” and that Dennis will not be held criminally responsible for Hoskins’ death as part of the plea deal.
“So there was no intention of Mr. Dennis to harm his wife and this charge does not charge him with any responsibility for her death,” Abbey said, according to Sky News.
After entering his guilty plea, Dennis was released on bail. He will be sentenced in January.
Bryn Lennon via Getty Images
Hoskins, 32, died in a hospital near the couple’s home in the Australian city of Adelaide on Dec. 30, 2023.
Though details on the circumstances leading up to her death are scarce, police determined she fell from the hood of a Volkswagen Amarok Highline, a large SUV-style truck, that Dennis had been driving.
Dennis’ guilty plea means that he admits he was driving a vehicle with his wife in close proximity and was therefore conscious of the fact that his behavior was likely to cause harm.
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Dennis and Hoskins, who share two children, had been married since 2018.
As a track and road cyclist, Dennis competed for Australia in three Olympic Games and the Tour de France, among other competitions. He won a silver medal in the team pursuit at the 2012 London Olympics and a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before retiring last year.
Hoskins competed for Australia in track cycling at two Olympic Games and won a world title in the sport in 2015.
She was buried in her home city of Perth following by a public memorial service in Adelaide in February.
