Australian cyclist Rohan Dennis has admitted to driving even though he was banned from getting behind the wheel for five years. The 36-year-old appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday after police stopped him last month. Officers found Dennis driving with two children in the vehicle. He was charged with driving while disqualified.
The driving ban was imposed after a tragic incident in December 2023 that led to the death of his wife, fellow Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins.
In 2025, Dennis received a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to one aggravated charge of creating the likelihood of harm. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped two more serious charges.
The court ruled that Dennis was not criminally responsible for Hoskins’ death. However, the judge found that his actions had been reckless. During the earlier court case, it was revealed that the couple had argued about planned kitchen renovations before Dennis decided to leave in his car.
Hoskins, whom Dennis married in 2018, first climbed onto the bonnet of the moving vehicle. She later held onto the driver’s door as the car continued to move. She eventually lost her grip, fell onto the road, and Eventually, she lost her grip, fell onto the road, and the vehicle struck her.. Hoskins suffered critical injuries and later died in hospital.
When Dennis was sentenced last year, the judge handed him a 17-month prison term but suspended it. Instead of serving time in jail, he was placed on a two-year good behaviour bond. He was also banned from driving for five years. The disqualification began on the date of the fatal incident, which occurred on the date of the fatal incident, which occurred on the date of the fatal incident in December 2023.
At Friday’s hearing, prosecutors asked for the latest driving offence and the alleged breach of his good behaviour bond to be dealt with together in the District Court. Dennis did not contest the new charge. The father of two is due back in court in September, when the case will continue and the court will decide what to do about the latest offence.
