Superdry Co-founder James Holder Convicted of Rape After Gloucester Crown Court Trial

Superdry co-founder James Holder has been found guilty of raping a woman. The 54-year-old was convicted by a jury of seven men and five women after a five-day trial at Gloucester Crown Court, which convened in Cirencester.

Recorder David Chidgey rejected Holder's request for bail to arrange his personal affairs, asserting that the inducement for him to deploy his "significant resources" to abscond would be "too great".

Holder, who resides in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was concurrently acquitted of a charge of assault by penetration by the jury.

The fashion magnate, who established Superdry with Julian Dunkerton in 2003, testified that he was on an "impromptu night out" on 6 May 2022 when he accompanied the woman back to her Cheltenham flat. Earlier testimony from a witness indicated she had arranged separate taxis for Holder and the victim, but Holder subsequently entered the victim's taxi, which was bound for her residence.