By AP — May 1, 2026
James Holder, 54, a cofounder of the fashion brand Superdry, was convicted Friday of rape after a jury at Gloucester Crown Court found him guilty of one count. He was acquitted of a separate charge of assault by penetration in relation to a May 2022 incident.
The accuser told the court that Holder got into her taxi and entered her home uninvited after they had been at a bar in Cheltenham. She said he assaulted her after waking from a short nap and that she cried as he continued despite her pleas for him to stop.
Holder, a married father of two, denied the charges and maintained that any sexual activity had been consensual. He was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on May 7.