James Holder, co-founder of fashion brand Superdry, has been jailed for eight years after being found guilty of raping a woman after a night out in the UK. The incident happened in Cheltenham in May 2022 after Holder and a friend went to the woman’s home after a night out drinking.
Prosecutors said Holder later raped the woman after she woke up from a short sleep in her bedroom, the Daily Mail reported. The woman told the court she was crying and repeatedly asked Holder to stop during the assault. Holder denied the allegation and claimed the sexual activity was consensual, but the jury found him guilty of rape. He was acquitted of a separate charge of assault by penetration. In a statement read to the court, the woman said Holder had robbed her of her “choice, dignity and body.” “What I did that day has followed me, casting shadows where there should have been light,” she said. While sentencing Holder at Bristol Crown Court, Judge David Chidgey described the attack as a “despicable piece of sexual violence”. The judge told Holder the assault showed a sense of “entitlement” and ignored the victim’s right to make decisions about her body. Holder appeared in court via video link from prison and showed no reaction when the sentence was handed down.