Sperm donor fails court bid to be declared a parent

An unregulated sperm donor - who claims to have fathered 180 children - has failed in his court bid to be declared a parent.

Robert Albon, who advertised his services on social media under the name "Joe Donor", started acting as an unregulated sperm donor in 2013. Originally from the US, Mr Albon came to England in 2020.

He has appeared on television to discuss his role and claims to have fathered children in countries as far away as Argentina and Australia after donating sperm for more than a decade.

In October, Mr Albon asked the High Court in London to declare him the father of a child born in 2021, known only as N.

N's mother began a relationship with a cisgender woman in 2019, who started identifying as transgender about one year into the relationship and later transitioned to the male gender, the court heard.

The mother's partner researched sperm donors, with Mr Albon emerging as a possible candidate. He went to the couple's home and provided sperm for which he was paid £100, but this did not result in a pregnancy.

Mr Albon later provided a second donation of sperm, for which he received a £150 Amazon gift card, and this resulted in the conception of N.

He was told when the child was born, but N's mother made it clear that this would be their last contact with him.

N's mother's partner, whose relationship with the mother ended in 2023, was listed as the father on the birth certificate.

The false declaration to the registrar was reported to the police, who "have apparently decided to take no action", Sir Andrew McFarlane said in his ruling.

Last May, the family court in Middlesbrough considered arrangements for a girl born in early 2023, known as CA, born after her mother contacted Mr Albon to be a donor.

Mr Justice Poole refused Mr Albon's bids for increased contact or placement and said that he "lacks empathy" and "seeks to control others" to get his way, adding that Mr Albon "will have sex with, or provide his sperm for artificial insemination, to just about anyone who asks".

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In Sir Andrew's ruling on Tuesday, the judge wrote: "I accept that if a declaration were made the mother would never know when, or if, Mr Albon might once more step forward and that this would be unsettling for her.

"I, therefore, hold that it would be contrary to public policy for Mr Albon to be treated as the father of N by the court granting a declaration of paternity naming him."

Kingsley Napley family law partner Connie Atkinson, who advised the mother in this case, said after the ruling: "On behalf of our client, we are extremely pleased with the court's decision not to grant a declaration of parentage in Mr Albon's favour.

"Whilst he is the biological father, it would not have been appropriate for him to be able to assert himself as a legal parent or to exercise any of the rights that may flow from that."

(c) Sky News 2026: Sperm donor fails court bid to be declared a parent