Superdry co-founder James Holder has been jailed for eight years for raping a woman after a night out in Cheltenham.
Holder, 54, had been due to get a taxi back to his home in the Cotswolds with a male friend. Instead, the pair got into the victim’s taxi and went to her flat in the Gloucestershire town, where Holder raped her. The jury at Gloucester Crown Court, sitting in Cirencester, heard that the woman asked Holder to stop but he did not, even when she began crying. The court was told she was more vulnerable because she was intoxicated.
Holder accepted that sexual activity took place in May 2022 but claimed at his trial it was consensual. He was found guilty of rape last week and acquitted of a separate charge of assault by penetration.
‘You chose to take what was never yours’
The victim read out a powerful statement in court in which she said Holder had acted as if he was “entitled”. She told the court: “You chose to take what was never yours – my choice, my dignity, my body. It is four years since you raped me. I have not softened that word to make it easier for you or anyone else to hear.
“I am still here, still standing, still reclaiming every part of myself you tried to take. The weight of what happened should be yours to carry, not mine. What you did to me did not end that day.
“It has followed me into my relationships, it has cast shadows where there should only be light. I have struggled to see the good in myself at times and at times failed to recognise the value I bring.”
She said the weight of his actions had felt overwhelming at times. “You took advantage of my vulnerability. You entered my home uninvited. You ignored my repeated pleas to stop acting as though you were entitled to continue an attack on my body. My home was violated by your actions.”
The victim added: “There have been times when I have felt disconnected from my own body, as though it no longer fully belongs to me.”
Holder, who attended the hearing via video link from prison wearing a grey sweatshirt and trousers, did not react as the statement was read.
Judge describes attack as ‘living nightmare’
The recorder, David Chidgey, praised the victim for her statement and for giving evidence in full view of the court. He described the attack as a “living nightmare” and said aggravating features included that it had taken place in her home and that Holder had not been invited in.
The judge called Holder’s actions “despicable”, adding: “It was an offence about entitlement – your sense of entitlement in relation to having all you wanted and your casual disregard for the victim’s absolute right to say what she wanted to do with her own body.”
Chidgey also dismissed Holder’s application for bail to get his affairs in order and say goodbye to his family before sentencing, saying he considered him too much of a flight risk owing to his “significant resources”.
In mitigation, Holder’s barrister, Michelle Heeley KC, said his wife and two children would also be punished by his sentence and that the children would lose a father figure. Heeley said Holder had built businesses employing thousands of people and had done a great deal of charitable work. She told the court that Holder had already asked if he could train young people in prison in fashion and design, and that he would be a target in jail because his case was high-profile and he was known to have money.
Holder has one previous conviction, for drink-driving in 2023 – an offence that occurred after the rape.
From market stall to global brand
A student of graphic design, Holder founded the skateboarding and BMX fashion label Bench before co-founding Superdry with the clothing entrepreneur Julian Dunkerton in 2003, starting as a market stall in Cheltenham. The brand’s aesthetic was inspired by a blend of vintage American styles and Japanese graphics. In 2004 the pair opened the first physical store in Covent Garden, London. Superdry now has stores around the world, including more than 60 in the UK, and its products have been sold in 157 countries.
Holder was responsible for clothing design and brand development, leading the company’s product innovation division until 2016, when he resigned. His final consultancy arrangements ended in 2019. Superdry has said Holder no longer had any role at the company at the time of the offence. The company has faced considerable financial difficulties in recent years and was delisted from the London Stock Exchange in July 2024.
The prosecution was led by James Haskell.
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
