Superdry Co-Founder Accused of Rape Following Night Out
The co-founder of the clothing brand Superdry has been accused of raping a woman after an evening of drinking, according to court proceedings.
James Holder, aged 54, reportedly returned to the woman's residence in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, in 2022 after a night out and fell asleep on her bed.
At Gloucester Crown Court, sitting in Cirencester, it was stated that Holder later woke up, called the woman—who was attempting to rest in the lounge—into the bedroom, and subsequently raped her.
Holder, who resides in Cheltenham, denies all charges of rape and assault by penetration.
Warning: This story contains distressing details.
Prosecution's Account
James Haskell, prosecuting, outlined the case against Holder:
"The prosecution case is that James Holder sexually assaulted and raped a woman in the early hours of May 7 2022.
There is no dispute in this case that Mr Holder did engage in some sort of sexual activity with her.
But he says all the sexual activity that occurred was consensual and he reasonably believed it was so," he added.
Woman's Resistance Described
The court heard that upon waking at the woman's flat, Holder invited her to join him in the bedroom.
"She said no, she was tired, and she said he pulled her on the bed," Haskell stated.
"She said that he continued to touch her. She described him pulling off her lower clothing. She said she tried to stop him.
From time to time he would say sorry but then carried on. She was telling him to stop.
At one point she remembered starting to cry but even then he didn't stop," Haskell added.
The woman reportedly managed to escape from Holder, left the bedroom, and shortly thereafter, Holder departed.
She later reported the incident to the police and provided a video-recorded interview to detectives in July 2022.
"You will hear some voice note messages she sent to her friends and you might think she was pretty drunk by the end of the night," Haskell said.
"The prosecution say that because of her intoxication she was more vulnerable.
It is the prosecution case that James Holder exploited that vulnerability."
Woman's Testimony and Defense's Position
In her testimony, the woman denied that the encounter was consensual, asserting that it constituted rape.
Michelle Heeley KC, representing the defense, suggested that the woman had initially kissed Holder in the lounge, then removed her own clothing before engaging in consensual sex.
To this, the woman responded under cross-examination:
"Incorrect," she said.
"He forced me to try and perform oral sex on him."
In closing, the defense counsel questioned:
"This was a drunken sexual encounter that you regret?"
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