James Holder, the 54-year-old co-founder of fashion giant Superdry, has appeared in court accused of raping a woman after a night out in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, in 2022.
Gloucester Crown Court, sitting in Cirencester, heard that Holder went back to the woman's home following an evening of drinking and subsequently fell asleep on her bed. Prosecutors allege that he later woke up, summoned the woman—who was trying to sleep in the lounge—into the bedroom, and raped her.
Holder, from Cheltenham, faces charges of rape and assault by penetration, both of which he denies.
Warning: This story contains distressing details.
James Haskell, prosecuting, told the court: "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."
The woman testified that when Holder awoke, he instructed her to join him in the bedroom. "She said no, she was tired, and she said he pulled her on the bed," Haskell said. "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."
The court was told the woman eventually escaped and left the bedroom, after which Holder soon departed. She reported the incident to police and gave a video-recorded interview to detectives in July 2022.
Prosecutors highlighted voice note messages the woman sent to friends after the incident, suggesting she was heavily intoxicated. "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."
Giving evidence, the woman firmly denied that the encounter was consensual. Under cross-examination by defence barrister Michelle Heeley KC, who suggested the woman had initiated physical contact and removed her own clothing, the woman replied, "Incorrect." When Heeley asked, "This was a drunken sexual encounter that you regret?" the woman responded, "Incorrect."
The trial continues.
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