A judge on Thursday cleared a University of Illinois Chicago student of a rape charge after he was accused of sexually assaulting another student during a re-enactment of the movie "Fifty Shades of Grey."
Judge Peggy Chiampas said after a preliminary hearing that testimony from the alleged victim found no probable cause.
The 19-year-old University of Illinois Chicago student testified during the hearing that she and her alleged attacker had sex consensually in the past and considered their relationship "friends with benefits." The teen also said she had previously agreed to have her hands tied together with a rubber band.
She also said she had gone to see the popular film by herself on the day of the alleged incident.
Last month, Mohammah Hossain was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault and ordered held on $500,000 bail at Cook County Jail following the alleged incident.
Prosecutors alleged Hossain sexually assaulted the woman in a dorm room in the 900 block of West Harrison Street, binding her hands and feet with belts and stuffing a necktie in her mouth. Prosecutors also say he put a knit hat on her head, covering her eyes before he removed some of her clothing and started striking her with a belt. Officials then allege he sexually assaulted her.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said the victim told Hossain he was hurting her and asked him to stop multiple times.
Prosecutors say Hossain told detectives after he was arrested that he was re-enacting scenes from the popular movie based on the erotic romance novel “Fifty Shades of Grey.”
“I’m finally satisfied — feeling accomplished,” Hossain’s Facebook page read about an hour after the alleged crime.
Lawyers for the 19-year-old pre-med student argued he was consensually re-enacting a scene from the bondage-themed film “Fifty Shades of Grey” and defended his innocence during a brief court hearing last week.
“This kid is a star. He is a top-notch student,” defense attorney Joshua Kutnick told reporters after the hearing.
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Hossain is a biology major and hopes to become a pediatrician, Kutnick said, adding that his client was a triathlete as well as a student alumni ambassador at UIC.
Attorneys for Hossain said he is not allowed back at the university, but it was not clear if they would pursue legal action to get him re-admitted.
