Superdry co-founder was my boss when he raped me

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Superdry co-founder was my boss when he raped me Figure caption, 'I felt like I was going to have the whole world against me,' says 'Gemma'ByJudith Moritz, Special correspondent and Emma Hallett, ProducerPublished14 minutes agoWarning: You may find some of the graphic detail in this story disturbingA woman who was raped by Superdry co-founder James Holder has told the she had been working for him at the time of the attack and had to return to work to face him just days later. Gemma, not her real name, was attacked by the disgraced fashion boss in her own home after Holder got into her taxi following work drinks on a Friday night in 2022. In an exclusive interview, she described feeling fear and dread on the following Monday morning as she walked into work at a new business Holder had launched after leaving Superdry in 2016.

Asked whether he spoke to her that week, she said: "Yeah, he did. Very much like he would have spoken to me the week before. As if nothing had happened.

The Details

"Multi-millionaire Holder, 54, was jailed in May for eight years for raping Gemma, in what the court heard was a "despicable piece of sexual violence". If you have been affected by the details in this story, help and support can be found at the Action Line. Due to her right to anonymity, Gemma's working relationship with Holder was unable to previously be reported.

However, in her first media interview, Gemma revealed she had first worked for Holder at his fashion firm Superdry in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, before joining another one of his businesses. While at Superdry, she said she did not have any direct interaction with Holder, describing him as having an almost "celebrity-like" status. But when she later moved jobs to work at a new company he was launching, she said she became increasingly aware of his "controlling" behaviour.

She described a work culture where there was "no room for mistakes" and everyone was on "high alert". "It certainly was a way of trying to command respect and a sort of allegiance to his agenda, for sure," she said. Figure caption, Watch: James Holder describes himself as like 'Mr Darcy' with women in a police interviewThe rape happened in May 2022, when a group of people from the company went for drinks at Gin and Juice, in Cheltenham.

What Experts Say

"It was just, you know, colleagues going out," Gemma said. "Early in the evening, there was nothing unusual… and then I would say later in the night, his behaviour sort of shifted. "Towards the end of the night, a friend called Gemma a taxi, while another cab was called for Holder.

But instead, Holder - who is married, with two children - got into Gemma's taxi uninvited. She told the the plan was for her to get out at her address, while he would continue to his own home. But that did not happen and he ended up in her home.

She said Holder initially fell asleep on her bed, but woke up and began beckoning Gemma, who was trying to sleep in the lounge.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.