ST. LOUIS – Four men stood together to say they can prove a St. Louis criminal conviction was based on lies. What may be more shocking is the response they’ve received from the criminal justice system. While walking in the shadow of the courthouse that changed their lives, these men unanimously say they can prove their uncle’s conviction for molesting them is based on lies.
“They’ve always told me since day one what had happened and they’ve always been there for me,” said Curtis Scott Hansen.
And yet, Hansen is a registered sex offender based on what the court record says is the testimony of the three Britton brothers – his nephews. When Hansen was 13, he was accused of molesting the now-grown brothers when they were 8, 9, and 10 years old, respectively.
“I’m not going away. I’ve been here the whole time,” said Clinton Britton. “I’ve been since I was a kid. I tried telling this didn’t happen.”
All three brothers have repeatedly told FOX 2—and sworn under oath to the courts—that the crime never happened.
“From the get go, we’ve always told them it didn’t happen,” Jason Britton said.
The Brittons were in foster care at the time and say a Missouri Division of Children and Family Services worker told them to tell stories about molestation in exchange for cookies and trips to Walmart. That DCFS caseworker would later be convicted for molesting another child.
Attorney Matt Radefeld has tried getting this case overturned for a decade.
“The Brittons never would have said what they said except for the interference of a very nefarious social worker,” he said.
FOX 2 reached out to Missouri Governor Mike Parson’s office about Hansen’s clemency application. A spokesman told us, in part, “The courts are better situated to weigh the evidence and fulfill a truth-seeking function than the clemency process.”
Radefeld said, “Well, I’m a little confused by that, because whenever you fill out a clemency petition, it’s a preprinted form that they give you. As a practicing attorney, I’m under the understanding that that is exactly what clemency is for. That is exactly what this particular petition is meant to be filed for is for individuals who are seeking a remedy from the governor, who has the potential to be able to undo something that should have not occurred in the courts.”
“Nobody wants to lift a finger to help,” Hansen said.
Hansen fears authorities are afraid to fix this injustice because it reveals too much about their own mistakes.
“You’ve got a state worker—a DCFS agent—that’s a child molester, went to jail for it, and forced three kids to say something like this,” he said. “That’s kind of a big deal. They want that to go under the rug.”
In the meantime, Hansen’s nephews are standing with him.
“We’re all here,” Charles Britton said. “We’re going to fight with him to the end.”
You can read our previous reports on this ongoing saga here.
