The co-founder of clothing firm Superdry, James Holder, has been accused of raping a woman following a night out drinking, a court has heard. Holder, 54, allegedly went back to the woman's home, used the toilet, and then fell asleep on her bed. The fashion executive later woke up, beckoned the woman—who was trying to sleep in the lounge—into her bedroom, and raped her, the court was told.
Charges and Defense
Holder, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, denies charges of rape and assault by penetration. Prosecutor James Haskell stated: '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.'
Events of the Night
Gloucester Crown Court, sitting in Cirencester, heard the allegations took place at the woman's home after a night out at a bar in Cheltenham. At the end of the evening, the woman arranged a taxi to take her home. While sitting in the front passenger seat, she realized Holder and another man had entered the rear seats. 'She said there had been no discussions with her about sharing a taxi,' Mr. Haskell said. 'She told the taxi driver the two men would be going to a different address.'
The court heard that the taxi stopped at her property, and she was aware of the two men getting out as well. 'They followed her into her flat. She thought, 'For f***'s sake,' because she could see the state they were in. She got them a drink and thought they would get another taxi home.'
Both men used the toilet. When Holder had not returned for some time, the woman went to check on him and found him asleep on top of her bed, fully clothed and snoring. She filmed him and sent the clip to friends, remarking: 'So considerate.' She then grabbed cushions and settled down to sleep on her lounge floor because the other man had already fallen asleep on her sofa.
Alleged Assault
The prosecutor continued: 'She told the police she must have drifted off to sleep, and the next thing she was aware of was James Holder appearing in the doorway of her living room. She told him it was late and he should go back to sleep, and told him to go back to the room he came from. He replied, 'Can't you show me?' She got up to show him back to the room he was sleeping in. James Holder told her that she should come into the bedroom too. She said no, she was tired, and she said he pulled her onto the bed.'
'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 heard that the woman eventually managed to escape from him and left the bedroom, and it was not long before Holder left.
Police Investigation
The woman later reported the allegations to the police and gave a video-recorded interview to detectives in July 2022. 'She explained that James Holder had been one of the people behind Superdry until he had started a new business,' Mr. Haskell said. 'She described herself in the police interview as quite drunk that night. You will hear some voice note messages she sent to her friends, and you might think she was pretty drunk by the end of the night. The prosecution say that because of her intoxication she was more vulnerable. It is the prosecution case that James Holder exploited that vulnerability.'
The trial continues.
