Rohan Dennis has opened up in detail for the first time about the tragic death of his wife Melissa Hoskins, declaring ‘yes it was an accident’ after she was struck and killed by the car he was driving outside their home.
The former world champion cyclist walked free from court in May 2024 after pleading guilty to an aggravated charge of creating likelihood of harm over Hoskins’ death on December 30, 2023.
He returned to social media last month for the first time since the incident and was heavily criticised for posting images of a Porsche with the caption ‘What an absolute weapon’.
Now the 35-year-old father of two has taken aim at the media in a scathing new Instagram post accusing the media of creating a ‘false narrative’ about him and making ‘disgusting’ remarks to him in front of his daughter.
‘Yes it was an accident,’ he said of his wife’s death.
‘I loved Melissa and the last thing I ever wanted was to hurt her.
Rohan Dennis has opened up in detail about his wife Melissa Hoskins’ tragic death, saying, ‘The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt her’ (pictured together)
The former cycling world champion posted a long and emotional message on Instagram on Monday night (pictured)
Dennis lashed out angrily at the media for what he sees as harassment of him and the two children he had with Melissa (pictured together)
‘Never in my life has any physical aggression crossed my mind in any disagreement with Melissa.
‘The narrative which the media ran with was clear they wanted me to look like the husband who abused his wife.
‘I have ALWAYS been against any sort of abuse against women and especially the one who gave birth to my children.’
Dennis then detailed his claims about how reporters treated him in the aftermath of the tragedy.
‘They greeted me and my family at the airport not 24hrs after my wife’s funeral,’ he said.
‘The things which I and others vividly remember that were said to me in front of my 2 year old daughter are disgusting!
‘How does it feel knowing you killed the mother of your two children, and they’ll never see their mother again?!
‘Are you a murderer?!
Dennis (pictured with his wife on their wedding day) was driving the vehicle that struck and killed Melissa on December 30, 2023
The 35-year-old detailed his claims that journalists have made ‘disgusting’ remarks to him in front of his young daughter
‘The media speak about the children and how saddened they are for the children.
‘Yet they happily stalk, follow and harass not just adults in my family but even when the kids are involved.
‘Following us in cars to be able to publish our movements to the public. Putting my kids in stressful situations. Yet they care about the kids.’
Dennis then addressed the ‘weapon’ caption on his Porsche post.
‘Then there is the clear twisting of my words. They know I never intentionally or unintentionally used a vehicle as a weapon.
‘Neither was it legally said that I did either. The video footage of the accident also proves this statement.’
He finished his message by writing, ‘Time for all you so called journalists and media outlets to back off and leave my family alone.’
Media weren’t alone in drawing attention to Dennis’s ‘weapon’ post, as it was also slammed by South Australian Victims’ Rights Commissioner Sarah Quick.
‘This is a deeply offensive comment that demonstrates a clear lack of insight into the real and lasting impact of the harm he has caused,’ Quick said.
She added that the comment indicated ‘a profound lack of respect for Melissa and her family’.
During Dennis’s trial, the court was told that the couple had argued over kitchen renovations before he left their house and began to drive away along the laneway beside their property.
Ms Hoskins had jumped onto the car bonnet before falling to the ground and was run over.
Dennis (pictured outside court) told his followers, ‘I have ALWAYS been against any sort of abuse against women’
Dennis (pictured with Hoskins and one of their children) walked free from court in May 2024 after pleading guilty to an aggravated charge of creating likelihood of harm
She suffered serious injuries and died in Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Judge Press emphasised that Dennis was not being held criminally responsible for his wife’s death.
During his interview with police, the Olympian – who had competed at the London 2012 Olympics, Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021 – told officers he had no intention of harming his wife, adding that it was ‘the last thing I’d ever bloody 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.
‘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.’
Recounting the moment that Hoskins fell to the floor, Dennis 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.
‘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.’
