Superdry founder was my boss when he raped me - I had to go back to work to face him just days later

By OLIVIA CHRISTIE, NEWS REPORTER Published: 08:48, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 08:51, 1 July 2026 The woman who was raped by Superdry co-founder James Holder has revealed she was working for him at the time of the attack.  Gemma, not her real name, was assaulted by the disgraced multi-millionaire fashion boss inside her home after he got into her taxi following work drinks in May 2022.  Holder, 54, fell asleep on Gemma's bed before waking up and luring her into her bedroom, where he raped her.  Speaking out after Holder was jailed for eight years in May, Gemma described her feeling of fear and dread when she walked into work the following Monday morning.  She was employed by Holder first at Superdry in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, before moving with him in 2016 to a new business he had launched.  Due to her right to anonymity as a victim of sexual assault, Gemma's working relationship with Holder was unable to previously be reported.  She said she was in 'survival mode' when she returned to work after the attack.  Gemma, not her real name, was assaulted by the disgraced multi-millionaire fashion boss inside her home after he got into her taxi following work drinks in May 2022 Superdry co-founder James Holder, 54, of Cheltenham, was jailed for eight years for rape 'He's the person [who is] paying your wage every month,' Gemma told the BBC. 'You don't know what Monday will bring. You don't know what Tuesday or Wednesday will bring.  'And for me, it was kind of more of a moment of being completely destabilised.' Gemma said she was hesitant to report Holder to the police due to his 'prevalence within the industry'. She claimed that Holder was 'accountable to no one', adding that she became aware of his controlling behaviours when she left Superdry and joined his new company.  Gemma also described a work culture where there was 'no room for mistakes' and everyone was on 'high alert'.  She said she was able to go to the police when Holder's new business went into liquidation and he was no longer her boss.  At his trial, Holder denied charges of assault by penetration and rape and said the sexual activity that took place between them was consensual. A jury at Gloucester Crown Court, sitting in Cirencester, acquitted Holder of assault by penetration but found him guilty of rape. In her victim impact statement, Gemma told Holder he had taken her 'choice, dignity and body'. She said: 'Four years to the day since you chose to take what was never yours – my choice, my dignity, my body. Holder is escorted by a police officer as he left court in Cirencester after being found guilty of raping a woman after a night out drinking 'Four years since you raped me. I will not soften that word to make it easier for you or anyone else to hear, it belongs to the truth of your actions. 'I am still here, still standing, still reclaiming every part of myself you tried to take. The weight of what happened should be yours to carry, not mine.' She added: 'What you did to me did not end that day. It has followed me into my relationships, into the way I try to trust, into moments where connection should feel safe but doesn't. 'What you did that day has followed me, it has cast shadows where there should be light. 'You entered my home uninvited. You ignored my repeated pleas to stop, acting as though you were entitled to continue your attack on my body.' A witness told the trial she had called two separate taxis - one for Gemma and one for Holder - but he then got into the back of her vehicle with her. The judge, recorder David Chidgey, told Holder this was the 'first evidence which spoke to your attitude and your intentions'. Passing sentence, Recorder Chidgey described the 'despicable' attack, and told Holder: 'It was about entitlement, it was about your sense of entitlement and your sense of doing what you wanted and your casual disregard for the victim's absolute right to say what she wanted to do with her own body.' 'You ignored her pleas to stop and ignored the fact that she was crying,' the judge said. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.