Cyclist Rohan Dennis seeks new judge for driving breach
Former world champion cyclist Rohan Dennis wants a different judge to sentence him for driving while banned, in a sequel to the case linked to his wife’s death.
Former Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has faced court after pleading guilty to driving while suspended, appearing before the same judge who warned him he would be jailed if he breached the ban.
Lawyers for Dennis, 36, told the Adelaide District Court on Friday that they intended to lodge an application seeking the recusal of Judge Ian Press from hearing the case.
Dennis was given a suspended 17-month jail term and banned from driving for five years in 2025 after pleading guilty to a charge of committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm, over the events leading up to the death of his Olympian wife Melissa Hoskins.
Hoskins, 32, was struck by her husband’s vehicle near their home at Medindie, in Adelaide’s inner north, on December 30, 2023.
On June 11, Dennis was reported for driving while disqualified after police allegedly observed him driving with two children as passengers.
His car was also impounded for 28 days.
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Judge Press warned the former world champion time trialist at sentencing in 2025 that any violation of the driving suspension would be a breach of the bond linked to his suspended sentence and he would be jailed.
Dennis was back before Judge Press on Friday for a guilty plea arraignment on a charge of driving while disqualified and an application for enforcement of a breached bond.
He intended to apply for a recusal of Judge Press, Dennis’s lawyer Craig Caldicott said.
Outside court, Caldicott declined to say whether the recusal application was connected to Judge Press’s assertion that Dennis would be jailed for driving while disqualified.
“It’s appropriate in the circumstances to seek a recusal in this matter,” he said.
Asked what was wrong with this judge, he said: “There’s nothing wrong with this judge, he’s a very good judge”.
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He accepted Dennis could go to jail.
“There’s always a possibility on any matter, you should be well aware that driving while disqualified, he could go to jail,” he said.
At sentencing in May 2025, Dennis had agreed to a $100, two-year good behaviour bond and his driver’s licence was suspended for five years.
The maximum penalty for driving while disqualified is 12 months in prison.
Dennis could also potentially face 17 months in jail for breaching his good behaviour bond.
In March, Dennis was criticised by SA’s Victims Rights Commissioner over an Instagram post in which he shared a photo of a black Porsche with the caption: “What an absolute weapon”.
After sentencing in May 2025, Hoskins’ father said the family had not yet received an apology from Dennis “but I’m sure that will come in time”.
“There are two young children caught up in this tragedy … who have lost their mum, for them to then go and lose their dad … I don’t think that (a jail term) would be ideal at all,” Peter Hoskins said.
“From the outset it (a jail term) wasn’t something we were pursuing.”
Hoskins competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics on the track in the team pursuit and was in the squad that won the 2015 world title.
Dennis won two world titles in the road time trial, as well as silver in the team pursuit at the 2012 Olympics and bronze in the road time trial at the Tokyo Olympics.
Both enjoyed professional careers on the road, with Dennis winning seven Grand Tour stages including two in France.
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