UK: 13-YO boy becomes dad with 15-YO girl: Where's arrest warrant?

Submitted by Matt on Sat, 2009-02-14 18:39

Story here. Excerpt:

'INNOCENT-eyed Alfie Patten spent his first night acting as a 13-year-old dad and declared: “It was easier than I thought.”

The four-footer — who looks no more than eight — said: “I know I’m young, but I plan to be a good dad.”

As he went on the PlayStation with 15-year-old girlfriend Chantelle Steadman, he added: “I think we’ll be good parents. I’ll have to work extra hard at school.”

Chantelle looked up from 18-rated action game Saints Row II to admit her first night out of hospital since having 7lb 3oz daughter Maisie had been tough and had left her “in a daze”.
...
Mickey and Minnie Mouse hold hands, surrounded by lovehearts, on the headboard of her bed — where Maisie was conceived when Alfie was just 12 and Chantelle 14.'

If the girl were 13 and the boy 15, wouldn't he be facing charges right now?

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Comments

rape

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Submitted by Hunchback on Sun, 2009-02-15 01:57

In fact this probably highlights a difference between the UK and the US. Over here police do not prosecute consensual peer relationships, so the answer is porbably, no, they wouldn't have pressed charges if the ages had been reversed.

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Submitted by Malcolm on Sun, 2009-02-15 07:42

There are also doubts whether Alfie Patten is actually the father, not least because it barely seems credible that he was capable of fathering a child 9 months ago.

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Submitted by Malcolm on Sun, 2009-02-15 08:44

...just looking at the photos, the guy looks so clueless that he probably thought he got her pregnant by kissing her. She had THREE dudes spend the night. Yo man, get a paternity test. His hustler mom will probably take care of that. (395,000-pound home in the balance).

He can come to live with HER when he's 16, indeed.

This is the most blatant case of statutory rape for monetary gains I've seen to date. Sure the Brits are more civilized about sex between peers, but certainly no more enlightened about golddigging. She set out deliberately to have his child as way out of poverty, with mum as a coach.

Poetic justice would see him with custody. But that ain't gonna happen.

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Submitted by Hunchback on Sun, 2009-02-15 19:32

In one of the articles I read about this, the boy was asked how he intended to meet his financial obligations.

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Submitted by Scottie on Tue, 2009-02-17 01:06