Sex abuse conviction to stand against former U-of-I teaching assistant

A former University of Iowa teaching assistant has failed in a bid to overturn his sex abuse conviction. A female University of Iowa student says back in December of 2002 she went to teaching assistant Frederick Williams to ask if she could do extra work for the class to bring up her grade. The student says Williams “nudged” her into a back room, dropped his pants and underwear and asked her to assist him in a “disgusting” sex act. Williams was found guilty of third degree sex abuse and indecent exposure. Williams argued his lawyer was so ineffective his trial was unfair. He also disputes whether his contact with the student was truly sexual in nature. The Court of Appeals has ruled “the jury could not possibly have been confused…as the evidence clearly shows” it was, indeed, a sex act. The Appeals Court affirmed the sex abuse and indecency convictions against Williams.