Former world cycling champion Rohan Dennis has struck a plea deal with prosecutors over the death of his wife, fellow Australian Olympian Melissa Hoskins.
Dennis, 34, was not held responsible for Hoskins' death, but he pleaded guilty to a charge that carries a maximum sentence of seven years.
Dennis appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday to plead guilty to dangerous driving causing death and aggravated careless driving.
Dennis was arrested on December 30, 2023, after Mr Hoskins, 32, was hit by a car outside his home in Medindi, north of Adelaide. Mr Hoskins suffered serious injuries in the crash and died at Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Dennis' lawyer, Jane Abbey, told the court that the defense and prosecution had agreed to drop the original charges and instead apply an aggravated charge of creating a likelihood of harm.
“What was agreed to happen today is that there will be a plea to count three and the original charges will be dropped,” she told Judge Justin Wickens.
The couple got engaged in 2017 and married in 2018. I have two children.
Dennis pleaded guilty, was released on continued bail, and was sentenced in District Court on January 24.
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Hoskins competed in the track team pursuit event at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and was part of the team that won the world title in the same event in 2015.
Dennis, who retired at the end of the 2023 season, won two world titles in the road time trial, as well as a silver medal in the team pursuit at the London Olympics and a bronze medal in the road time trial at the Tokyo Olympics.
He won the opening time trial in 2015, setting a race record for average speed and becoming the seventh Australian to wear the yellow jersey as race leader at the Tour de France.
