Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Paternity test for boy, 13, who says he's a dad

LONDON - A DNA test will be performed to determine if a 13-year-old boy fathered a baby with his 15-year-old girlfriend, his spokesman said Monday.

The test comes after a Sunday tabloid newspaper reported that two other teenage boys have come forward claiming to be the father of the newborn baby girl.

Spokesman Max Clifford said the parents of Alfie Patten, 13, said the tests would be done "as soon as possible" to determine paternity.

"He obviously believes he's the father," Clifford said. "I think that having read the News of the World yesterday, it would be prudent to have a DNA test."

The teenager's 15-year-old girlfriend, Chantelle, gave birth to the baby girl earlier this month in Eastbourne, 70 miles southeast of London. The couple made headlines in Britain when Alfie, who looks much younger than 13, posed on the front page of the tabloid Sun newspaper with the baby.

The local council where the teenagers live said it would offer them support and that they will continue to be monitored by social workers to determine what help they might need.

Patten allegedly was 12 when he fathered the child, and his girlfriend was 14.