Summary
The co-founder of clothing firm Superdry is accused of raping a woman after a night out drinking. James Holder, 54, went back to the woman’s home, went to the toilet and then promptly fell asleep on her bed, a court heard. The fashion boss then woke up, beckoned the woman, who was trying to sleep in the lounge, into her bedroom and raped her, the court was told.
Details
James Haskell, prosecuting, said: “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.” 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 night, the woman arranged for a taxi to take her home and while sat in the front passenger seat, realised Holder and another man had got into the rear seats. “She said there had been no discussions with her about sharing a taxi,” Mr Haskell said. “She said she told the taxi driver the two men would be going to a different address.
“She told the police that the taxi stopped at her property and she was aware of the two men getting out of her taxi as well, and she said they followed her into her flat. “She said her feelings at the time were, ‘For f***’s sake’ because she could see the sort of state they were in.
“She got them a drink and thought they would get another taxi home.” The court heard that both men used the toilet and when Holder had not returned for some time, the woman went to see where he was and found him asleep on top of her bed fully clothed and snoring.
The woman filmed him and sent the clip to friends, telling them: “So considerate.” She then grabbed cushions and settled down to sleep on her lounge floor because another man had already fallen asleep on her sofa. “She told the police she must have drifted off to sleep herself and the next thing she was aware was James Holder appearing in the doorway of her living room,” Mr Haskell said.
“She told him it was late and he should go back to sleep, and told him to go back the room he came from, and 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.