Former professional cyclist Rohan Dennis has allegedly been caught driving while disqualified with two children in the vehicle, just over a year after he was banned from driving for five years following the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins.
South Australia Police said officers stopped a 36-year-old man from Medindie just after 4pm on Thursday after seeing him driving a vehicle with two children inside. The vehicle was impounded for 28 days, and police confirmed the man would be summonsed to appear in court at a later date.
Dennis was disqualified from driving for five years and given a suspended prison sentence in May 2025, after pleading guilty to committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm in connection with the death of Hoskins outside their Medindie home in December 2023. According to road.cc and the Associated Press, the couple had argued over kitchen renovations before Dennis attempted to drive away, with Hoskins jumping onto the bonnet of the vehicle in an effort to stop him. He continued driving for around 75 metres before she fell and was struck, suffering fatal injuries.
Dennis, 34 at the time, was sentenced to one year, four months and 28 days in prison, suspended on a two-year good behaviour bond, with the judge noting he was not charged with causing his wife’s death but with the dangerous manner of his driving beforehand. Hoskins’ mother, Amanda, told the court during sentencing: “I believe this is a tragic accident. Your temper is your downfall and needs to be addressed.” Her father, Peter Hoskins, said outside court that the family wanted to focus on the welfare of the couple’s two young children, adding: “There are two young children caught up in this tragedy… Clearly, we want to continue to be an integral part of their children’s lives and their future.”
Hoskins, a two-time Olympian who competed in the team pursuit at the 2012 and 2016 Games and was part of Australia’s 2015 world championship-winning squad, died at Royal Adelaide Hospital. Dennis, a two-time world time trial champion and Olympic medallist, has been the sole carer of the couple’s two children since her death.
Thursday’s incident marks the latest controversy involving Dennis since his sentencing. According to road.cc, he was previously criticised earlier this year after posting Instagram photos of a Porsche captioned “What an absolute weapon,” with one social media user writing: “My naive arse thought if you killed the wife and mother of your children you should go to prison, not be free to post on Insta that the new car you ha[ve].”
