Overview
- James Holder was sentenced to eight years at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, in what the judge called a "despicable piece of sexual violence."
- A jury in Cirencester convicted him of rape last week and cleared him of a separate charge of assault by penetration.
- Prosecutors said he followed the woman into her Cheltenham flat in May 2022, then raped her after waking from a nap as she cried and begged him to stop.
- Holder admitted sexual activity and claimed consent, but prosecutors argued he had no reasonable belief in consent and the jury agreed.
- Holder, 54, co-founded Superdry in 2003, and the company said he held no position there at the time of the offence.