Cycling-Australian Dennis handed suspended sentence over death of his wife


FILE PHOTO: Cycling - UCI World Championships 2023 - Stirling, Scotland, Britain - August 11, 2023 Australia's Rohan Dennis in action during the Men's Elite Road Individual Time Trial REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo

(Reuters) - Australian cyclist and former world champion Rohan Dennis received a suspended jail sentence over the death of his wife, former world champion Melissa Hoskins, after she was hit by a car in December 2023, Australian media reported.

An Olympic track cyclist, Hoskins died in hospital after being struck by a car driven by Dennis in an inner northern suburb of Adelaide.

The court had heard how she held on to the car as he attempted to drive off following an argument, causing her to fall.

Dennis had admitted to an aggravated count of creating the likelihood of harm and the judge said although the 34-year-old had disregarded his wife's safety, he was not criminally responsible for her death.

He was sentenced to one year, four months and 28 days in jail, suspended for two years, and his driver's licence was suspended for five years.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)

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