A MAN who once claimed to be the youngest father in Britain narrowly escaped jail after he went on a drunken rampage smashing up cars and property.

Alfie Patten was 13 years old when he was said to have fathered a child with family friend Chantelle Steadman, 15.

Chantelle was said to have conceived the child after sleeping with Alfie Patten last when he was only 12-years-old.

However a DNA test later proved Alfie was not the father and the real dad was mutual friend Tyler Barker, then 14.

On Wednesday, Patten, now 23, appeared in Lewes Crown Court to be sentenced after being convicted of criminal damage.

The court heard Patten is  now a jobless alcoholic who lived at home with his mother and has a history of criminal offences.

He already had a 24-month suspended prison sentence hanging over his head after being convicted on June 14 of shoplifting, theft and possession of an imitation firearm.

But on July 11 he got drunk and began swearing and shouting at an elderly resident before damaging cars in the street and near his home in Hailsham.

Hannah Hurley, prosecuting, said Patten kicked a van, damaged a Skoda car and broke a fence while swearing and shouting at an elderly resident.

“He was drunk, swearing and being aggressive. He was running up and down the road. He was seen arguing with vehicles and shouting at them.”

Patten was seen “staggering” around and was arrested by police and put in a patrol car. But he then spat inside the car causing it to be taken out of service and cleaned.

Nutan Fatania, defending, said Patten was desperately trying to tackle his severe alcohol problems and his GP was seeking medical and psychological help for him to reduce his drinking.

She said: “This is a young man who is aware of the concerns that are at play here. He wants to improve to become normal and seek peace rather than continue the destructive, chaotic behaviour that is deeply dangerous to his health.”

Lewes Crown Court was told Patten had five convictions for 12 offences for theft and shoplifting and drank alcohol each day.

Judge Janet Waddicor warned Patten he should have faced an automatic jail sentence for breaching the earlier suspended sentence but claimed prison was not the right place for him.

She said: “Your GP think prison would be a very bad outcome for you and I agree. You are drinking dangerously high levels of alcohol. Anyone can see you are a slightly built young man and the amounts you are drinking must be causing so much damage to you, to your liver.

“There aren’t many people in your position who would have the family support you have. Most would have washed their hands of you.”

She imposed a separate suspended sentence of one month and one week for the criminal damage offences as well as extending a rehabilitation order already in place.

Judge Waddicor told him: “You’ve got a tough journey ahead of you but you cannot keep offending while drunk.”

The 2009 case prompted a national debate about morality and teenage pregnancy with then Tory leader David Cameron saying it raised “worrying” questions about modern Britain.

Alfie met Chantelle in 2008 at the age of 12 while playing out in the streets of the East Sussex village of Lower Dicker, where they both lived.

His mother thought the friendship was innocent enough and as Alfie had not gone through puberty she later claimed she had no worries about them being left alone.

He sometimes stayed at her house and it was after one sleepover that Chantelle told him she him she was four months pregnant.

In February 2009, Maisie Roxanne was born weighing 7lbs and 3oz and Alfie was thrown into the role of father.

He later said: “It was a crazy time. Holding Maisie for the first time was amazing. I was too young to understand the consequences of being a dad but I liked holding her and immediately loved her.

“The amount of attention it got was crazy. Everywhere I went people knew who I was. I couldn’t leave the house for weeks. I had to have time off school.

“I saw the baby every day. I fed her and changed her nappy. I barely played my computer games.”

But six weeks later he was hit with the bombshell that he was not the father and their mutual friend, Tyler Barker, was the read dad.

He told how he cried for days and was doubly upset because Chantelle and her family moved away and he couldn’t see the baby Maisie anymore.

Patten left court with his family yesterday after being warned his behaviour needed to improve and any breach would mean both suspended sentences could be activated resulting in being sent to prison.