Mohammad Hossain, 19, was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault and held on $500,000 bail for allegedly attacking a 19-year-old fellow student.
Cook County prosecutors say the woman went to Hossain’s dorm room, where he asked her to remove her clothing. Hossain then blindfolded her, bound her hands above her head and tied her to a bed before beating her with a belt and sexually assaulting her.
But Hossain’s lawyer, assistant Cook County public defender Sandra Bennewitz, said he claimed it was consensual, adding that the student has been involved with several UIC leadership programs, served as a student ambassador to the alumni association and was on the triathlon team.
The judge was shocked to hear about Hossain’s reputation as a model student, the Chicago Tribune reported.
"Sandra, how can someone involved in all that let a movie persuade him to do something like this?" asked Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr.
The two had "previously been intimate" but were not dating, said Assistant State's Attorney Sarah Karr.
Karr said Hossain ignored the woman’s requests that he stop, and continued striking her until she managed to free herself.
After the woman managed to escape and call the police, Hossain was arrested and admitted to assaulting her and “doing something wrong,” saying he and the woman were re-enacting scenes from Fifty Shades of Grey.
The film, based on a bestselling novel by E.L. James, has received mixed reviews since opening in theaters on Februrary 13, with many alleging it glorifies an unhealthy and abusive sexual relationship.
