Baby-faced dad shows collapse in our moral values.

BABY-faced Alfie Patten is not the nation's youngest father.

We now know this because of the result of a series of court hearings.

These began after the family of the 13 year-old claimed he had fathered the child born to his "girlfriend", 15-year-old Chantelle Steadman in Eastbourne.

Five other boys also claimed to have had sex with the girl.

Now DNA tests have shown that the real father of the baby is Tyler Barker, who is also 15.

Just as extraordinary as the facts of this story is the nature of the court case that revealed it.

This was not a case about under-age sex because Sussex Police were not interested in the issue. And it was not a matter of child neglect because East Sussex County Council found nothing amiss in the actions of any of the parents involved.

And it was not an action brought by any agency to ensure the care or financial security of the baby.

The High Court hearing resulted from the local authority's attempt to block reporting of the facts..

What a commentary it is on our attitude to the massive issues raised by this case - the sexualisation of our children, parental responsibility, the collapse of moral values - that the only reason it came before the courts was the question of publicity..