Superdry co-founder James Holder has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty of rape. The victim, identified only as Gemma, revealed she was an employee of Holder at the time of the assault, which occurred in May 2022.
According to Gemma, Holder assaulted her in her home after they left work drinks. He had initially fallen asleep on her bed before waking and leading her to the bedroom where the rape took place. Holder, 54, denied charges of assault by penetration and rape, claiming the sexual activity was consensual. A jury at Gloucester Crown Court acquitted him of assault by penetration but convicted him of rape.
Speaking out after the sentencing, Gemma described the fear and destabilization she experienced upon returning to work days after the attack. She stated she was in "survival mode" and that her employer, who controlled her wages, was "accountable to no one." She also detailed a demanding work culture where there was "no room for mistakes" and employees were on "high alert."
Gemma said she was hesitant to report Holder to the police due to his prominence in the fashion industry. She felt able to go to the authorities only after Holder's new business, which she had joined after leaving Superdry, went into liquidation and he was no longer her employer.
In her victim impact statement, Gemma told Holder he had taken her "choice, dignity and body," stating that the event continued to affect her relationships and her ability to trust. The judge, Recorder David Chidgey, described the attack as "despicable" and attributed it to Holder's "sense of entitlement and his casual disregard for the victim's absolute right to say what she wanted to do with her own body."
A witness stated that Holder entered the victim's taxi with her after separate taxis had been called for them. The judge noted this behavior as evidence of Holder's intentions and attitude. Holder was employed by Gemma first at Superdry in Cheltenham before she moved with him in 2016 to a new venture he had established.