Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis’ chilling police interview has revealed his account of the events that took place prior to the death of his wife Melissa Hoskins.
According to a report that was released to The Adelaide Advertiser, the 44-year-old told police that fellow Olympian Hoskins, 32, was still awake after being struck by a vehicle in front of their home at Medindie in Adelaide’s inner north on December 30, 2023.
Dennis said that he had ‘heard a thump’ before exiting the vehicle and rushing to Hoskins, who had fallen to the ground, gurgling and moaning in pain.
Hoskins had suffered serious injuries in the crash before being taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital, where she died.
Dennis has formally pleaded guilty to a charge linked to the crash that caused the death of Hoskins.
The former cyclist, who retired in 2023, was interviewed by police in the early hours of December 31, 2023. He told officers that the pair had been involved in an argument which had related to renovations inside their home in Adelaide. He explained, per The Advertiser, that ‘tensions had boiled over’ between the couple.
Melissa Hoskins (left) was tragically killed when she was struck by a vehicle that her husband Rohan Dennis (right) was driving
Dennis is pictured outside the District Court of South Australia in Adelaide
Dennis (right) revealed to police that the couple had been arguing about renovations in their home
During the interview with police, the Olympian, who had competed at the London 2012 Olympics, Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021, told police he had no intention of harming his wife adding that it was ‘the last thing I’d ever b****y do’.
‘We were yelling at each other, and I was just like “I’m out”, as in like I’m just gonna leave the house,’ Dennis told officers, according to The Advertiser.
‘As I was getting in my car, my wife Mel ran out and as I was moving she jumped in front and onto the bonnet.
‘So I kept driving slowly down the lane and was like just looking at her saying: “what are you doing”.
‘Then we got to the end of Medindie Lane and I stopped and noticed Mel was looking to jump off basically… and she jumped off.’
It is not alleged that Dennis had caused her death.
He pleaded guilty to aggravated creating likelihood of harm. Charges of causing death by dangerous driving and aggravated driving without due care had also been dropped.
Recounting the moment that Hoskins fell to the floor, Dennis had told police officers: ‘She attempted to grab the door handle, which I believe she got a handle on now and must have been running next to the car trying to get onto the footstep to the side.
Hoskins and Rohan (pictured on their wedding day) were two of Australia’s best cyclists
The family of Melissa Hoskins (left to right, father Peter, sister Jessica Locke and mother Amanda) arrive at court for their victim impact statements on Monday, April 14
‘At this stage, I’ve realised that like, she’s probably gonna try and get on and it’s getting a little bit out of control.
‘From memory, I let go of the accelerator but I heard a thump and I saw in my mirror that she was on the ground.
‘So I pulled over as quick as I could and ran back to her.’
He explained that his wife appeared to be struggling to breathe.
‘I was just talking to her the whole time to try keep her awake,’ Dennis said.
‘She was just moaning, like grunting with the pain and I was saying: “Can you feel your legs, are you OK”. And she was nodding as “yes”.
‘Like, I knew she’d hit her head but… when I pulled her it felt like she potentially broke some ribs or something and like this was bloody hoping it’s the worse thing.
‘And that’s why blood was coming up.
‘That’s why I was thinking maybe that’s why she was struggling to talk. She couldn’t quite breathe properly.’
Rohan Dennis was an Olympic cyclist, just like his wife, who competed at the 2012 and 2020 Olympic Games
The former cyclist had told officers he did not know how to perform CPR and was fearful of administering it incorrectly, so had waited for paramedics to arrive.
‘And they got there and she was still breathing and awake,’ he added.
On Monday, the District Court had heard that Dennis believed his vehicle was travelling at approximately 20km/h when the incident took place. CCTV footage showed Hoskins had been on the bonnet of the car for around six seconds before falling off.
Hoskins’ father, Peter, explained that he was not able to forgive Dennis in his victim impact statement.
‘Melissa did not deserve to die and she certainly did not deserve the death that she suffered,’ he told the court.
‘Can I forgive you for the abandonment of your responsibilities as a husband and father on December 30? I doubt I can do that, given what you have taken from me and my family.’
Her mother, Amanda, told the court that she believed Dennis had not intended to intentionally hurt her daughter.
‘Melissa was the best thing that ever happened to you [Dennis]. Rohan, you loved Melissa, and I know that you would never intentionally hurt her,’ Amanda said.
Melissa Hoskins is pictured second from right during the Track World Championships in 2013
‘I believe this was a tragic accident and an accident that should never have happened.
‘Your temper is your downfall and needs to be addressed.’
Prosecutor Tali Costi had told the court that while Dennis was not criminally responsible for his wife’s death he had been ‘reckless to the fact that she was holding onto the vehicle’.
Melissa had competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics in the team pursuit. She was in the Australian quartet that had won the 2015 world title in the same event.
Dennis, meanwhile, won two world titles in the road time trial and took silver in the team pursuit in London 2012. He would also win bronze in the road time trial in Tokyo.
He retired from professional cycling at the end of the 2023 season.
Dennis is due to appear for sentencing on May 14.
