Rohan Dennis pleads guilty to lesser charge over death of Olympian ...
Former professional cyclist Rohan Dennis has pleaded guilty over an incident which resulted in the death of his Olympian wife Melissa Hoskins last December.
On Tuesday, Dennis entered a guilty plea to one aggravated count of creating likelihood of harm relating to a crash at the front of the couple's Medindie home in Adelaide's inner-north.
Prosecutors dropped a charge of dangerous driving causing death and an aggravated charge of driving without due care.
Ms Hoskins, a mother-of-two, was struck by a car driven by Dennis outside their home on December 30.
Melissa Hoskins died in December 2023. (Facebook)
The Adelaide Magistrates Court today heard prosecutors accepted the plea to the new charge because Dennis was reckless, and did not intend to kill his wife.
After almost 12 months of negotiations the prosecution accepted that Dennis was not responsible for causing the death of the 32-year-old.
Prominent barrister Jane Abbey KC, representing Dennis, told the court the new charge was admitted on the basis of recklessness.
"There was no intention of Mr Dennis to harm his wife — and this charge does not charge him with responsibility for her death," she told the court.
An aggravated charge of creating likelihood of harm carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment and a five-year loss of licence.
After almost 12 months of negotiations, prosecutors accepted that Dennis was not responsible for causing the death of Ms Hoskins. (ABC News: Che Chorley)
Dennis has been committed to the District Court for sentencing.
On the night Ms Hoskins was hit by the car, emergency services were called to the scene on Avenel Gardens Road just after 8pm.
Ms Hoskins was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with serious injuries and "died in hospital overnight", police said the following morning.
Her death triggered an outpouring of grief within the cycling community, including from her former Olympic teammate Amy Cure, who wrote on social media: "You will be forever missed my sister."
Ms Hoskins's funeral was held in Fremantle in January. (ABC News: Kenith Png)
The world champion cyclist was laid to rest at a funeral in Fremantle in her hometown of Perth in January.
The following month, her family and former teammates gathered in Adelaide for a public memorial service, which was attended by Dennis, on what would have been her 33rd birthday.
Ms Hoskins was a two-time Olympian and a renowned road and track cyclist who represented Australia at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Melissa Hoskins pictured at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne in 2012. (AAP Image: Joe Castro)
She won gold in the women's team pursuit at the 2015 World Championships.
Ms Hoskins retired from professional cycling two years later, announcing the decision, as well as her engagement to Dennis, in an interview with website Cyclingnews in 2017.
