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James Holder, co-founder of the fashion brand Superdry, has rejected allegations of rape during a trial at Cirencester Courthouse. He told the jury that his encounter with the woman involved was consensual. Holder, 54, described the night in question as an unplanned evening out in Cheltenham in May 2022, which ended with him getting into the back of the woman’s taxi.
During his testimony, Holder admitted he did not explicitly ask for permission to enter the taxi but insisted that the interaction was consensual. He said it became clear to him that the woman wanted to engage in sexual activity at her flat, and he believed there was “completely full consent.” Holder denies all charges, which include rape and assault by penetration.
Holder also spoke about his personal circumstances at the time, explaining that his business, JACKITCo, was nearing financial collapse, which happened shortly after the night out on 6 May 2022. He recalled that the evening concluded around 1 a.m. the next day. He described his level of intoxication during a police interview as about a seven out of ten. Holder initially got into a taxi with a friend, but later entered a different taxi with the woman and his companion, saying he did not want the party to end.
Once at the complainant’s flat, Holder said the woman invited them inside, and after some time chatting outside, he used the bathroom and then lay on the bed to rest. He recounted waking up to find the woman awake and sitting nearby; they then began kissing, which he described as mutual and lasting about five minutes before they moved to the bedroom. Holder maintained that when the woman indicated discomfort during sex, he stopped, and denied making physical contact with her wrists, despite the victim reporting bruises in that area. When asked by his defence lawyer whether he saw the woman crying, he said he did not. Responding to a question about consent, Holder stated, “Completely full consent.”
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