British fashion brand co-founder James Holder jailed for eight years for rape after night out in Cheltenham

James Holder, co-founder of fashion brand Superdry, has been jailed for eight years for raping a woman after a night out in the UK. The incident occurred in Cheltenham in May 2022 when Holder and a friend went to the woman’s home after a night out drinking. Prosecutors said Holder raped the woman after she woke up from a brief sleep in her bedroom, the Daily Mail reported. The woman told the court she was crying and repeatedly asked Holder to stop during the attack. Holder denied the accusation and claimed the sex was consensual, but a jury found him guilty of rape. He was cleared of a separate count of infiltration and assault. In a statement read in court, the woman said Holder had taken away her “choice, dignity and body.” “What you did that day has stayed with me, it cast a shadow where there should be light,” she said. Sentencing Holder at Bristol Crown Court, Judge David Chiggy described the attack as a “despicable act of sexual violence”. The judge told Holder the attack showed a sense of “entitlement” and disregarded the victim’s right to make decisions about her own body. Holder, who appeared via video link from prison, did not react as the sentence was handed down.