James Holder, co-founder of the British fashion brand Superdry, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Thursday for the rape of a woman in 2022. The incident occurred after the two met in a bar in Cheltenham, and the verdict was delivered at Bristol Crown Court in southwest England.

A jury found Holder, 54, guilty last week following a trial. Judge David Chidgey condemned the assault as 'a despicable piece of sexual violence,' stating that Holder acted out of a sense of entitlement and showed 'casual disregard for the victim's absolute right to say what she wanted to do with her own body.'

Holder co-founded Superdry in 2003 and left the company in 2016. The brand was delisted from the London Stock Exchange in 2024 amid declining sales and has since rebranded as Superdry & Co.

The court proceedings concluded with the sentencing. No immediate appeal has been announced.