Last updated at 19:34 20 December 2007

The boyfriend of Jamie Lynn Spears could face statutory rape charges after getting Britney Spears' sister pregnant at 16, it has been revealed.

And Casey Aldridge, 19, could face up to 10 years if convicted, possibly with hard labour.

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Fox News reports that if the baby was conceived in Spears' home state of Louisiana, the act could technically be considered "felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile."

Louisiana law defines this unlawful carnal knowledge as "sexual intercourse with consent between someone age 19 or older and someone between age 12 and 17."

In Louisiana a person can only legally consent to sex at age 17. If aged 15 or 16, the other person involved must be no more than two years older for the act to be considered legal.

But Aldridge wouldn't fare much better if the "carnal" act happened in California, where Spears lives while on the set of her Nickelodeon TV show Zoey 101.

The Californian Penal Code states that any person who engages in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor under 18 who is not more than three years younger than the perpetrator, is guilty of a misdemeanour and faces up to one year in a county jail.

But Californian criminal defence attorney Jim Hammer says: "If Aldridge is actually more than three years older he could be up for a felony, which carries a maximum three years in prison.”

Meanwhile, Jamie Lynn says she believes she'll be a good mother: "I love babies, and I have my nephews that I love.

"I have a great mom and she has raised three kids, so if I take lessons from her, I think I'll be great."