Olympian Melissa Hoskins died after being hit by a car. Her husband has now been sentenced.

As Australia was ringing in the start of 2024, the family and friends of Olympian cyclist Melissa Hoskins were grieving her death after she was struck by a car driven by her husband, Rohan Dennis.

Dennis was arrested after his wife was struck by his vehicle near their home at Medindie, in Adelaide's inner north, on December 30, 2023. He was charged with causing Melissa's death following reports she was dragged along the street, holding the door handle of the couple's Volkswagen Amarok ute.

In December, Dennis pleaded guilty to one aggravated count of creating a likelihood of harm relating to the crash. Prosecutors dropped a charge of causing death by dangerous driving and an aggravated charge of driving without due care.

Now, he has been handed a two-year suspended sentence over the incident, according to ABC News.

In the South Australian District Court on Wednesday, Judge Ian Press said describing Melissa's death as tragic did not do the incident justice.

The court has been told that the couple had argued over kitchen renovations before Dennis left their home and drove away. Melissa had jumped onto the car bonnet shortly before she died.

He reiterated that Dennis was not criminally responsible for causing her death.

Dennis was banned from driving for five years.

The Hoskins family earlier told the court how they were haunted by that night.

Melissa's sister Jessica Locke said she still had nightmares about police coming to her home on December 31, 2023 to inform her of the tragedy.

"Neither myself, my family or friends have received any kind of apology from Rohan for his actions on that night," she said in her victim impact statement.

"No remorse has been shown. If anything, Rohan's actions since that night appear to suggest he perceives himself as a victim of the situation. Seeing him behave like this overwhelms me with sadness and anger.

"The lack of empathy and understanding for his actions… I've really struggled to process."

Watch: A minute of silence for Melissa Hoskins. Post continues below.

Peter Hoskins, Melissa's father, said the family did not get to say goodbye, as the Olympian had just returned to Australia after living in Spain.

He said that on a video call on December 30, "she could hardly contain her joy at the prospect of hosting her first New Year's Eve party."

Adding, "The next time I saw Melissa was in the mortuary viewing room at the Royal Adelaide Hospital… that, I will never forget. It will haunt me forever."

He added that the family's greatest fear was losing access to his grandchildren, aged six and four.

Addressing Dennis directly, he said, "Can I forgive you for the abandonment of your responsibilities as a husband and father? I doubt I can do that just yet given what you have taken from me and my family."

Amanda Hoskins, Melissa's mother, accepted her daughter's death was an accident. She said her daughter had loved Dennis "and I know that you would never intentionally hurt her."

"I believe this is a tragic accident. Your temper is your downfall and needs to be addressed," she said.

Melissa's family say they are still waiting for an apology. Image: Getty.

The moments before tragedy.

Details about the moments leading up to Melissa's death were previously shared in court.

Prosecutor Tali Costi told the court that while Dennis was not criminally responsible for his wife's death, he was "reckless to the fact she was holding onto the vehicle."

Dennis' lawyer, Barrister Jane Abbey KC, told the court that before the incident, the couple had been involved in a dispute over kitchen cupboards, "the sort of thing that husbands and wives disagree about all the time".

Abbey said the couple had previously agreed that when they were to fight "Dennis would remove himself" from the situation to calm down, but that was "not how it ended on this day."

"Your Honour, from looking at the CCTV, you might see that there's a period of less than three seconds in which a lot is happening," Abbey said.

"At the same time as Mrs Dennis is reaching for the door handle the first time, Mr Dennis can be seen getting that door closed again thinking, 'This is confronting and what I know is I have to leave'.

"He thought that by putting his foot down, he was removing danger. That's of course, in the light of day, something that he realises was not a full picture and not a full thought.

"He put his foot down … and there's about a second, just over, in which it can be seen that Mrs Dennis ran alongside the car."

She said Dennis described to police hearing a noise.

"That noise, it would seem, was her jumping onto the car ... and one can see that shortly after that noise, and allowing for some response time, the brake lights show," she said.

Melissa Hoskins was killed after being hit by a car driven by her husband. Image: Getty

Abbey said her client presented himself as a "very stoic man".

"He says that's important for his children," she said. "When the public is not watching … he is not at all stoic. He is experiencing deep, deep grief."

'Words cannot convey our grief.'

Following Melissa's death, her family released a statement sharing their grief over the loss of the 32-year-old.

"Words cannot convey our grief, sadness and the tragic circumstances of Melissa's passing," they shared.

"Myself, Amanda, Jess and families, are utterly devastated and still struggling to process what has happened.

"Not only have we lost a daughter and sister, her children have lost their mum, a freewheeling spirit, a giver with a big heart, patience and zest for life.

"She was the rock of their life and ours, and we need to honour her memory so they can grow up knowing who she was, what she stood for and what she gave to everyone whose life she touched."

Listen to The Quicky discuss the case. Post continues below.

The former track and road racing cyclist announced her retirement from professional cycling in 2017.

Melissa competed in the London Olympics, after breaking the world record in the semi-final at the 2012 World Championships. She made history in 2015 as part of a cycling quartet, winning the World Championship gold medal and breaking the world record.

In 2016, having been involved in a high-speed crash at the Olympic Velodrome during training, and suffering pneumonia, Hoskins didn’t let being on crutches stop her from getting on her bike for both the qualifying and first rounds of the Rio Olympics.

She also competed in several national track championships and UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

Melissa and Dennis were married in Margaret River, south of Perth in 2018, according to social media posts.

The couple were listed on the Santos Tour Down Under website to lead a family ride event in Adelaide, however their names were later removed.

Hoskins' husband was charged with causing her death. Image: Getty.

Sporting organisations and fellow cyclists paid tribute to their friend and colleague.

"The AOC has expressed the utmost sadness at the loss of Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins after the tragic events in Adelaide," The Australian Olympic Committee wrote via X.

"Our condolences go to Melissa’s family, friends and the cycling community at this extremely difficult time."

"Melissa, a mother, daughter, and wife, was also a champion cyclist who thrilled and inspired us with her exquisite skills on the track and road," Marne Fechner, chief executive of AusCycling, the national governing body for the sport in Australia, said via a statement.

"Melissa began her competitive cycling career at just 16, and by the time she retired at the age of 25 she had shown the world that she was an athlete of rare prowess.

"Melissa described her team Pursuit Gold Medal at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships as the highlight of her career, but for the rest of us, the highlight was just having her around."

-with AAP

This article was published in January 2024 and has been updated.

Feature image: Instagram