Former Superdry co-founder, James Holder, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for raping a woman following a night of drinking. The incident occurred in Cheltenham on May 7, 2022, where Holder, aged 54, accompanied by a friend, entered the woman’s residence without invitation and assaulted her after waking up from a nap on her bed.
Although Holder denied charges of assault by penetration and rape, claiming the sexual encounter was consensual, he was found guilty of rape by a jury at a trial held in Cirencester. The victim testified that she repeatedly asked Holder to stop while crying during the assault.
The court heard that Holder lured the woman from the lounge to her bedroom and raped her after waking up from his nap. The woman managed to escape the ordeal, prompting Holder to leave shortly afterward. Holder defended his actions by stating that the encounter was consensual and that the woman had shown interest in him.
During cross-examination, Holder refuted claims that he had pursued sex opportunistically and denied any realization of his actions afterward. The victim rejected suggestions that the encounter was consensual and emphasized the traumatic impact of the assault on her life.
In a statement read in court, the woman expressed the lasting emotional and psychological consequences of the assault, detailing how Holder’s actions had violated her sense of safety and self-worth. Superdry clarified that Holder was no longer associated with the company when the incident occurred.
Holder, who co-founded Superdry in 2003, started the brand as a market stall in Cheltenham before expanding globally. Today, Superdry operates numerous stores worldwide, with a significant presence in the UK.
