All we all know as Sperm donor who claims 180 youngsters loses authorized father bid

Need to know

Robert Albon, known as ‘Joe Donor’ on social media, claims to have fathered children in countries as far away as Argentina and Australia but has been denied legal father status by the High Court

Need to know: Sperm Donor’s Paternity Bid Rejected

• A prolific sperm donor who claims to have fathered over 180 children worldwide has lost his High Court battle to be declared the legal father of a child conceived from his donation.
• Robert Albon, known as ‘Joe Donor’ on social media, was seeking paternity rights for a child born in 2021 after he provided sperm in exchange for a £150 Amazon gift card. The American donor, who is in his mid-50s, has been operating as an unregulated sperm donor since 2013 and moved to England in 2020.
• The court heard that Albon first provided sperm for £100 but this didn’t result in pregnancy. His second donation, paid for with the Amazon voucher, led to the conception of the child known only as N.
• Sir Andrew McFarlane ruled against Albon, stating: ‘It would be contrary to public policy for Albon to be treated as the father of N by the court granting a declaration of paternity naming him.’ The judge described the case as ‘extreme’ and involving sperm donation on a ‘wholly different scale’.
• Previous court rulings have been highly critical of Albon, with one judge saying he ‘lacks empathy’ and ‘seeks to control others’. Mr Justice Poole noted: ‘The evidence before the court shows that Albon will have sex with, or provide his sperm for artificial insemination, to just about anyone who asks.’
• The mother’s legal team welcomed the decision, with lawyer Connie Atkinson saying it would not have been appropriate for Albon to assert legal parental rights despite being the biological father.
• READ THE FULL STORY: Sperm donor who ‘fathered over 180 kids’ loses bid to be declared dad of child