Superdry co-founder jailed 8 years for sexual assault

James Holder, co-founder of the British fashion brand Superdry, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Thursday at Bristol Crown Court after a jury convicted him of sexual assault stemming from an incident in the early hours of May 7, 2022, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

The 54-year-old businessman from Cheltenham met the victim during a night out at a bar. Court proceedings revealed that Holder and a friend entered the woman's taxi uninvited, despite arrangements for separate transport, and accompanied her to her flat. Once there, Holder used the toilet, fell asleep on her bed and later awoke. He beckoned the woman, who had been trying to sleep in the lounge, into the bedroom, where the assault occurred. Prosecutors stated the victim, who was intoxicated and vulnerable, repeatedly pleaded with him to stop and cried during the encounter. She escaped the bedroom, after which Holder left the flat.

Holder denied the charges, claiming any sexual activity was consensual. He testified that the woman had initiated contact, including kissing and oral sex, and that they stopped when she indicated discomfort. The jury at Gloucester Crown Court, sitting in Cirencester, rejected his...