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<\/p>\nLife changed when 13-year-old Alfie Patten became Britain\u2019s youngest parent and made headlines worldwide.<\/p>\n
He and his family were always recognized, and his parents were called the \u201cU. K.\u2019s worst parents\u201d.<\/p>\n
But a DNA test revealed a shocking fact.<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s Alfie Patten?
\nIn 2009, baby-faced East Sussex youngster Alfie Patten was believed to have fathered a kid with family friend Chantelle Steadman.<\/p>\n
In 2009, Chantelle Steadman gave birth to Maisie Roxanne at Eastbourne Hospital in East Sussex, near Alfie\u2019s hometown.<\/p>\n
The child was conceived when Chantelle was 15 and Alfie 12.<\/p>\n
British tabloid The Sun broke the story, which went global. The story\u2019s popularity was due to Alfie Patten\u2019s boyish appearance and unbroken voice, which contrasted with fatherhood\u2019s seriousness.<\/p>\n
The Sun triumphantly stated that the item hit a new web traffic record, demonstrating its size.<\/p>\n
Not puberty yet.
\nAlfie, 12, met Chantelle in 2008 while playing in Lower Dicker, East Sussex, where they lived. His mother thought their acquaintance was harmless and didn\u2019t worry about them being alone, especially because Alfie hadn\u2019t hit puberty.<\/p>\n
The Independent reported that the case spurred complaints about Britain\u2019s \u201cunder-educated\u201d and \u201cover-sexualized\u201d society. England has a relatively high teenage pregnancy rate compared to other wealthy nations; only the US and New Zealand have higher rates.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Nigel Waterson, Member of Parliament for Eastbourne, voiced concern, calling it a sad story. This raises serious problems regarding sex education rather than relationship education in schools and the sexualization of society.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alfie was asked if he could support his family in a memorable YouTube interview. His reply: \u201cWhat\u2019s financially?\u201d<\/p>\n
Details that surprise
\nRereading this story from a few years ago reveals some surprising details. The couple didn\u2019t discover Chantelle was pregnant until her 12-week doctor visit. She said she missed one tablet. They concealed the pregnancy for six weeks until Chantelle\u2019s mother discovered her big tummy.<\/p>\n
Alfie remarked, \u201cI thought it would be good to have a baby,\u201d but was afraid to inform his parents. Alfie\u2019s father said his son wanted to be the first to hold his daughter and be a good father. He might have ignored it and played PlayStation at home. But he\u2019s been hospitalized daily, he added.<\/p>\n
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In February 2009, Alfie became a father when his daughter, Maisie Roxanne, was born at 7 pounds 3 ounces.<\/p>\n
The 13-year-old\u2019s newborn photos appeared like he had a new sibling rather than a child.<\/p>\n
The time was wild. My first time holding Maisie was amazing. According to Daily Mail, Alfie said, \u201cI was too young to understand the consequences of being a dad but I liked holding her and immediately loved her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Too unbelievable?
\nThe story looked ridiculous, but the reality will soon reveal itself. Six weeks after \u201chis\u201d daughter was born, Alfie received a shocking surprise that changed everything.<\/p>\n
DNA testing proved Alfie Patten was not the father. Tyler Barker, Alfie\u2019s friend and 14-year-old, was the real father.<\/p>\n
Alfie\u2019s mother, Nicola, suspected something was wrong because she couldn\u2019t believe her son was sexually active. Just like that, Alfie was no longer the youngest UK father.<\/p>\n
Alfie Patten\u2019s potential Hailsham, East Sussex home. Getty Images
\nAfter learning the truth, Alfie cried for days and was heartbroken when Chantelle and her family moved away, leaving him without the baby.<\/p>\n
Alfie and his family wanted normalcy after 2009\u2019s tragedy and tumult. However, he made headlines and was even mentioned in U.K. parliament, becoming a symbol of unruly youth.<\/p>\n
The dispute
\nBy now, we all know how massive the Alfie Patten case was, with the media coverage being unrelenting. Did you know that the UK\u2019s press watchdog, the PCC, investigated the case?<\/p>\n
The PCC, a volunteer regulator for British print newspapers and magazines, sought to know if the papers compensated Alfie Patten\u2019s parents to tell their story.<\/p>\n
The Sun\u2019s spokeswoman said, \u201cWe will be happy to fully cooperate with PCC\u2019s inquiry into this story, which we absolutely believe to be in the public interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
What happened behind the scenes may never be known. After legal limits stopped the PCC from reaching the Patten family, they had to drop their investigation. However, the PCC warned newspapers.<\/p>\n
The press claimed their publications raised awareness of teenage pregnancy in Britain and its effects. The publications said they were igniting a much-needed public debate by dramatizing and personalizing the problem.<\/p>\n
The Sun also announced plans to set up a trust fund to help raise the baby, Maisie.<\/p>\n
Back to normality
\nSpeaking to The Mirror two years after Alfie was accused of fathering a child at 13, his mom Nicola said even after it was proven that Alfie wasn\u2019t the father it still took time to get back to normality.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuddenly Alfie\u2019s name was being thrown about in Parliament and on the 10 o\u2019clock news. We were portrayed as a bad family from the wrong side of town,\u201d she told The Mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlfie\u2019s a good boy and I was too scared to go out.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2019, Alfie was convicted of criminal damage after smashing cars and property while drunk, The Mirror newspaper reported. According to the article, Alfie, who appeared at a court in the U.K. \u201cnarrowly avoided jail.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prosecution said officers interfered after Alfie kicked a van, damaged a Skoda (car) and smashed a fence while inebriated.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cHe was drunk, swearing and being aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The court heard that Patten, still lives at home with his mom, doesn\u2019t have a job and drinks alcohol most days, The Mirror said.<\/p>\n
Alfie\u2019s defense said: \u201cHe wants to improve to become normal and seek peace rather than continue the destructive, chaotic behavior that is deeply dangerous to his health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alfie Patten today
\nIn 2021, Alfie and his mother, Nicola, made news once more.<\/p>\n
They were evicted from their terraced home in Hailsham, East Sussex, after it was discovered to be a drug nexus, according to British publications.<\/p>\n
District Judge Teresa Szagun stated, \u201cThe premises were used for drug dealing, and there was anti-social behavior spilling out onto the street, affecting the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
He felt he had gotten his 15-year-old girlfriend Chantelle Steadman pregnant at 12.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, August 28, 2019, Daily Mail posted
\nAlcoholism and unemployment plagued Alfie. The 28-year-old was also reportedly getting therapy for his issues.<\/p>\n
After several years away from the spotlight, we can only hope Alfie Patten has found peace and security. From his social media, he appears to be living in Hailsham, East Sussex, a peaceful life away from the spotlight.<\/p>\n
How do you believe the media handled his tale and how it affected him and his family? Share your thoughts\u2014this topic is ongoing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Life changed when 13-year-old Alfie Patten became Britain\u2019s youngest parent and made headlines worldwide. He and his family were always recognized, and his parents were called the \u201cU. K.\u2019s worst parents\u201d. But a DNA test revealed a shocking fact. Who\u2019s Alfie Patten? In 2009, baby-faced East Sussex youngster Alfie Patten was believed to have fathered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6016","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-daily-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6016"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6022,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6016\/revisions\/6022"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}