LINDSAY WATLING, LEON WATSON and MARK DUELL A12-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl and her 13-year-old boyfriend have become Britain’s youngest parents and plan to stay together to raise their daughter, according to reports.
The couple, who posted a photo of their new arrival online, are said to have met in a park when she was only 10 and have the lowest combined age of any British parents on record.
At just 12 years and three months old, she is reportedly now the nation’s youngest mother after giving birth last Sunday.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was just 11 and still a primary pupil when the baby, was conceived.
At 27, the girl’s own mother has become one of Britain’s youngest grandmothers. She accompanied her daughter yesterday as they went to register the birth.
A source told The Sun: “Both sets of grandparents are incredibly supportive. It’s a very difficult situation because the parents are both so young – but their families are right behind them.
“The baby’s mum and dad have been in a relationship for a year so this isn’t a fleeting romance. They intend to stick together and bring their daughter up together.
“They’re very into each other, totally in love. She’s in Year Seven, he’s in Year Nine at a different school.
“She is obsessed with him. She sees this as true love and they want to get married.”
Her friends reportedly had no idea the girl, who lives with her mother in north London, was pregnant when she suddenly stopped coming to school last month. It is understood she hopes to return in September to continue her education. The source added: “Everyone is shocked. She was in school until March this year. She didn’t look pregnant. She’s only tiny anyway. She didn’t even have a bulge on her.
“Her mum is sticking behind her. She was a teenage mum as well – so she isn’t giving her any stick or being judgmental.”
Britain’s previous youngest mother Tressa Middleton fell pregnant at 11 and gave birth in Edinburgh aged 12 years and eight months in 2006. The youngest father on record is Sean Stewart, from Bedford, who was aged 12 in 1998 when his child was born.
The country’s previous youngest parents were April Webster and Nathan Fishbourne, both 14 when their son Jamie was born in south Wales in 2010.
The world’s youngest mother is Lina Medina from Peru who gave birth to her son Gerardo when she was just five years and seven months old in May 1939.
A total of 27 800 girls below the age of 17 got pregnant in England and Wales in 2012, but the numbers have fallen in recent years.
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics in February showed the UK under-18 conception rate remains the lowest since 1969 at 27.9% 1 000 women aged 15 to 17.
They also revealed that 253 girls under 14 fell pregnant in 2012, fewer than the previous year, with almost three-quarters having an abortion.
A man claiming to be the father of a 12-year-old girl today revealed he was ‘proud’ of her and there was “no shame” after she gave birth to her 13-year-old boyfriend’s baby – making them Britain’s youngest parents.
The ‘father’ said he would stand by his daughter – but admitted that he ‘broke down with emotion’ when discovering only four weeks ago that his eldest daughter was about to give birth.
He phoned a live radio programme to say he would support the baby and called his daughter’s boyfriend a “great kid”. He added that there was no shame and he was proud to be a granddad.
“We only found out she was pregnant a month ago. That means she was eight months pregnant. The baby is going to come into the world no matter what. You can just be supportive about it. The families on both sides are going to be very supportive about it. It is heartbreaking, but you can’t turn back time. You can only go forwards.
“We don’t know where it happened. What you’re implying is that we knew they were having sexual intercourse in bedrooms. No. We cannot keep her wrapped up her whole life.”
The girl’s ‘father’ added: “I can’t keep a watch on her 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You don’t know what has gone on and once the mistake has been made, you can only support them.”
Her grandmother, aged 56, is now a great grand-mother – and was shocked by the news. The girl’s ‘father’ said that he cried when learning of the pregnancy four weeks before the birth – and she apologised to him.
“I come from a working background. We’re not scrounging off the social, like other people are suggesting. I work, I own my own business.
“I’m fully going to support them with my own money. We’re not scroungers. I will sit there and I will support this baby as best I can with my own money.
He said his other children, a boy of nine and a girl of three, do not fully understand what has happened, adding: “It’s shocking at first but I don’t think they understand the fact that she’s a mum.
“It won’t be happening again. Now we will be keeping an eye on people. I don’t want this to happen again. Maybe, we could have done more.”
On claims that the couple want to marry, the girl’s ‘father’ said: “They’re not going to get married [but] I couldn’t say that in six years, I’d like to think they’re going to turn out to be one happy family.
In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
