Father of baby born to gypsy girl, 10, in Spain was 13-year-old boy

By GERARD COUZENS  (mail online)
Last updated at 11:54 AM on 3rd November 2010

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• Mother's family 'ecstatic' although social services are still deciding if she can keep child
• She only flew to Spain three weeks ago
• 
  

The boy who fathered the baby born to a 10-year-old girl in Spain is just 13 himself, relatives revealed today.

The Romanian youngster, called Elena, became one of the world's youngest mothers when she gave birth to a 6lbs 6oz baby last week at a hospital in Jerez, Spain.

She has called her child, a baby girl born naturally, Nicoletta.

Her relatives revealed she is no longer seeing the boy and gave more details of the astonishing birth.

Scene: The hospital in the southern town of Jerez where the girl gave birth

Elena flew to Spain from Romania just three weeks ago to give birth and attend a family wedding.

They are now staying with relatives at a flat in Lebrija, a walled town of around 25,000 inhabitants between Jerez and Seville in the country's south-west.

The shabby-looking three-storey brick building in the centre of the town is home to dozens of Romanian and south American immigrants.

Neither mother or child, who come from a gypsy family and are expected to stay indoors for 40 days in accordance with local tradition, have been seen in public. But the baby's grandmother, Olimpia, said the family were feeling 'ecstatic.'

She said: 'Elena and Nicoletta will stay in Spain because her relationship with the baby's father has ended. They've separated.

'Elena is very happy with her child. We're very happy, for us it's not a drama.

'These things are normal in our country. Girls get married at 10 so we don't understand why people are so surprised.'

Part of Elena's family are believed to make ends meet by begging. Others allegedly sell scrap metal.

Social services are still deciding whether to let Nicoletta stay with her mum - but have already indicated they will not separate them if they feel both minors are happy.

Micaela Navarro, Minister for Equality and Social Affairs at the regional Andalusian government, said they only become aware of the case from hospital staff three days after the birth.

She said: 'The important thing is that both mother and baby are cared for perfectly.

'If that is the case, they can remain in the family environment, which is what we are checking at the moment.'

A source at Jerez Hospital, where the birth took place on October 26, said: 'The girl's mother told us the girl lived with her boyfriend in her home country.

'There are girls who can appear older than they are, but in this case the girl is just that: a girl.'

Britain's youngster mother, Tressa Middleton, from Armadale, West Lothian, gave birth aged 12 in 2006 after getting pregnant while drunk.

In February this year a nine-year-old Chinese schoolgirl gave birth to a baby boy.

In 2008, 177 children were born to girls aged 14 or under in the province of Andalusia.

The age of consent in Spain is 13 and 14-year-olds are allowed to marry with a judge's permission.  (mail online)

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