Superdry co-founder said 'I'm not going home' before alleged rape

The co-founder of clothing company Superdry is accused of raping a woman after he refused to go home following a drunken night out, a court has heard. James Holder, 54, was drunk and a taxi had been ordered to take him and a friend to his home in the Cotswolds after a night out in Cheltenham on 6 May 2022, Gloucester Crown Court heard. Instead Holder and the friend, who had been drinking in a bar on the town's promenade, got out of their taxi and into the taxi of the woman he is accused of raping hours later. Holder, from Cheltenham, denies charges of rape and assault by penetration at the woman's flat in Cheltenham. Holder had been out for drinks at Gin and Juice with colleagues and friends when he became "intoxicated", a witness told the court, which sat in Cirencester. At midnight, the witness said she felt the bar was "winding down" so she hailed a taxi for James Holder and his friend to take them to Holder's home before hailing a second taxi to take the complainant home in. She said Holder had said "I am not going home" after he got into the taxi she flagged down for him. She said he and his friend then got out of that taxi and into the back seat of the complainant's taxi. "I

Apr 28, 2026 → May 1, 2026