BBC NEWS | UK | Youngest inventor patents broom
A five-year-old boy is thought to be the UKs youngest person to patent an idea after inventing a labour-saving broom to help his father sweep leaves.
Sam Houghton, of Buxton, Derbyshire, was just three when he came up with a double-headed broom to collect large debris and fine dust simultaneously.
After passing the rigorous patenting process, his idea is now protected from anyone who might copy it.

I heard this story on 5Live this morning. The boy was apparently only 3 when he invented the broom.  Amazing. Then I heard that his father is an expert in patent law. At that point the story lost something. Am I just being cynical?