Judge warns over man who ‘fathered 180 children’

A sperm donor who claims to have fathered more than 180 children has been used by a judge to warn of the dangers of unregulated sperm donation.

Robert Charles Albon, who calls himself Joe Donor, claims to have fathered children all over the world from China to Australia after advertising online.

But using him as a donor turned into a “horror story” for a couple after he took them to court as he wanted parental rights over their child.

The BBC has approached Mr Albon for a response.

It is extremely rare for a parent in a family court case about children to be publicly identified but the family court judge said it was in the public interest in naming Mr Albon.

In his judgement, Jonathan Furness KC said he wanted to protect women from the possible consequences of unregulated sperm donorship and from using Mr Albon.

The baby in this case was conceived by syringe injection to a same-sex couple, although Mr Albon claimed to have had secret sex with the biological mother in the back of a car. That’s a claim rejected by the judge.

Cardiff Family Court heard that Mr Albon, who is in his 50s, was a “stranger” to the child and has only met them for 10 minutes when a few weeks old for a “one-off” photo.

Mr Albon applied to the court for parental responsibility, to be named on the birth certificate and changes to the child’s name.

Mr Albon wanted the child’s non-biological mother to be called “auntie” rather than mother, despite the fact she had acted as a parent from birth.

Both mothers said the stress from the legal proceedings – which took more than two years – had been cited as a factor in the break down of their relationship.

The court heard the biological mother suffered from anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts made worse by the case.

The judgement – made in 2023, but only just published – said Mr Albon claimed he wanted to “protect the welfare” of the child when he was actually “wholly self-centred”.

Judge Furness concluded: “They chose a sperm donor who advertised that he would leave it up to the mother as to whether there should be any contact.

“There was evidence from his own social media material that Albon has indicated that to be the position.”

The court found Mr Albon, who is originally from the United States but has been living in north-east England, started the family proceedings to support his immigration position to stay in the UK. That is something he denies.

“In reality he is a man who seeks to control,” added Judge Furness.

“Women and children appear to be almost a commodity to him as he sets about increasing the number of his children around the globe – China, USA, Argentina, Australia and UK to name just some of the countries where he has fathered children.”

The judge in this case found “no positive welfare benefit in changing the child’s name” and that direct contact between him and the child would not be in the child’s best interests.

Neither mother opposed “letterbox contact” so Mr Albon can send an annual card or email to be retained for when the child is of an age to understand who it is from.

Mr Albon advertises on social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram and donates through various methods including artificial insemination and more natural methods like sexual intercourse.

In an interview with The Sun last August, he said: “I’ve had about 180 live births and I’ve met about 60 of them.”

“I might never see a lot of them, this has to do with the child’s mothers relationship… it’s my preference to have some sort of relationship.”

The non-biological mother said Mr Albon’s insistence of having parental rights had been a “nightmare and a horror story”.

“She believes that the world needs to know of the risks associated with unregulated sperm donation,” said Judge Furness.

“The public and vulnerable women seeking to get pregnant should know that is the case and they risk a similar ‘horror story’.”

The judge said he wanted “to protect women from the potential consequences of unregulated sperm donorship, generally, but also from Joe Donor himself”.

“He is a man who intends to continue donating sperm and vulnerable women who are interested in such services should fully understand the risks of becoming involved with him,” he added.

The way he was giving sperm was unregulated as it was not through a licensed clinic, with no limits on the number of children, mandatory health checks or protection from legal rights as a parent.

UK regulations say sperm from a single donor used through licensed clinics may only be used to create a maximum of 10 families.

Mr Albon has previously spoken about his motive for donating. He claimed he wanted to help create life it was insulting when people said he only did it for sex, did not make any money and was often lucky to break even on travel expenses.

Family Court proceedings are private although under a recent change in court rules in England and Wales, reporters can attend and report certain information.

Measures have been taken to ensure the child cannot be identified.

Unusually in this case, the guardian acting on behalf of the child made an application that this judgement should be published online and the father should be named.

It was argued that it is important that the public should be aware of the dangers of unofficial sperm donation. Both mothers agreed to publication.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said it was “always safer to have treatment with donor sperm” at clinics it licensed, “where there are laws and guidance to protect and support patients and donors”.

Clare Ettinghausen of the HFEA said licensed clinics were also expected to adhere to the “10 family limit”, restricting the number of families that can be created with a single donor.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice is available via the BBC Action Line.