The co-founder of the fashion brand Superdry was convicted Friday of rape after a night of drinking.
James Holder, 54, was found guilty by a jury in Gloucester Crown Court of one count of rape but acquitted of a separate charge of assault by penetration for the May 2022 assault.
Holder had been out for drinks at Gin and Juice, a bar in Cheltenham, England, with colleagues and friends when he became “intoxicated,” a witness told the court, BBC News reported.
The witness said she hailed a taxi for Holder and his friend to take them to Holder’s home before hailing a second taxi to take the accuser home, BBC News reported. The witness said Holder told her: “I am not going home.”
The accuser said Holder got in her taxi and entered her home uninvited after they had been at a bar in Cheltenham. She said he assaulted her after he awoke from a short nap. She testified that she cried as he carried on despite her pleas to stop.
Holder, a married father of two, denied the charges and said all sexual activity had been consensual.
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He was jailed in advance of sentencing in Bristol Crown Court on May 7.
Holder was one of the co-founders of Superdry in 2003 and by 2018, Superdry products were sold in 157 countries, according to the company’s website.
The streetwear brand was delisted from the London Stock Exchange in 2024 after announcing a drop in sales and has rebranded as Superdry & Co.
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Superdry 