James Holder, 54, a co-founder of the global clothing brand Superdry, has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty of raping a woman following a night out in Cheltenham, a town in Gloucestershire in western England. A jury of seven men and five women at Gloucester Crown Court, sitting in Cirencester, returned the guilty verdict last week, and Holder was formally sentenced at Bristol Crown Court, appearing via video link from prison.

The attack took place in May 2022. Holder had been on an impromptu night out with a male friend and the pair ended up getting into the victim's taxi — which had been called for her alone — and travelling to her flat. At the property, Holder fell asleep on her bed, then woke and pulled the woman, who was attempting to sleep in the lounge, onto the bed. The court heard she repeatedly asked him to stop and began crying, but he continued. Recorder David Chidgey, the sentencing judge, described the assault as a "living nightmare" and "despicable piece of sexual violence", telling Holder the offence was rooted in "your sense of entitlement... and your casual disregard for the victim's absolute right to say what she wanted to do with her own body." The judge noted as aggravating factors that the attack occurred in the victim's own home and that she had been intoxicated and therefore more vulnerable.

In a powerful victim impact statement read aloud in court, the woman addressed Holder directly: "You chose to take what was never yours — my choice, my dignity, my body. It is four years since you raped me. I will not soften that word to make it easier for you or anyone else to hear." She described lasting psychological harm, saying the experience had followed her into her relationships and left her at times feeling disconnected from her own body. Holder, who had accepted that sexual activity took place but maintained it was consensual, showed no emotion during the hearing. The judge rejected a bail application, citing Holder's "significant resources" and the risk of flight. He must serve at least two thirds of his sentence and was ordered to pay £5,000 towards prosecution costs.

Holder's defence barrister argued in mitigation that his wife and two children would also suffer as a result of the sentence, and noted his history of charitable work and his offer to train fellow inmates in fashion and design. Superdry confirmed that Holder had resigned as a director and employee in 2016 and that any consultancy arrangement had ended in 2019, well before the offence occurred. He had co-founded Superdry with entrepreneur Julian Dunkerton in 2003, growing it from a market stall in Cheltenham into an international retail chain with more than 60 stores in the UK alone.

Detective Constable Elle MacLeod of Gloucestershire Police, speaking outside court, commended the victim for her courage and said the case carried a clear message: "No one is above the law, and regardless of your status, wealth or power, you will be held accountable for your actions."