TL;DR
Robert Albon, a sperm donor claiming to have fathered 180 children, will not be listed on a child's birth certificate despite being the biological father. The Family Court dismissed his application, citing the extreme nature of the case.
A prolific sperm donor who claims to have fathered 180 children around the world will not be able to have his name on one of his children's birth certificates.
Robert Albon, who calls himself Joe Donor and advertises on Facebook and Instagram, offers sperm donation in several unlicensed ways.
He made a declaration of parentage application to the Family Court after discovering a couple he donated sperm to had named the mother's partner as the father on the baby's birth certificate.
The Family Court's top judge, Sir Andrew McFarlane, dismissed Albon's application and said "the facts of this case are extreme".
It is agreed that Albon, who is originally from the United States and in his 50s, is the biological father of the child in this case.
The child's mother was in a lesbian relationship at the time of conception, but not married.
The couple paid Albon £100 in cash and a £150 Amazon gift card before she got pregnant via artificial insemination.
By the time the child was born, the mother's partner had begun identifying as a trans man and was registered on the birth certificate as the father.
The pair never wanted Albon to play any part in the child's life, but said they would eventually explain the child's roots in an age-appropriate way.
It is extremely rare for a parent in a Family Court case to be publicly named, in order to protect children from being identified.
However, BBC Wales made a successful application to lift the restriction on naming Albon, citing public interest.
He advertises openly on Facebook and Instagram and has spoken extensively about his experiences in media interviews and TV programmes.
In 2024 he told the Sun he had his own "sperm factory" and women paid him hundreds of pounds for his sperm.
Albon, who is adopted, made the point in court documents that not knowing the identity of his birth parents - and having what he considers an incorrect birth certificate himself - had "eroded his sense of self".
He said he wanted to guard against the same thing happening to this child, and was not seeking any responsibility or looking to spend time with the child.
However, Sir Andrew said it was likely that Albon might "seek to assert himself as an active parent" as he had done on a previous occasion.
He added: "The impetus for doing so would be entirely self-driven by Mr Albon's views, and not moderated by any insight towards, or empathy for, the mother."
A court report said the proceedings had caused the child's mother "considerable anxiety" and it had been the "hardest experience of her life".
In the judgment Sir Andrew said: "I fully accept that 'vulnerable' is, sadly, and apt description of her position, both in terms of her internal resources and the situation in which she finds herself with respect to Mr Albon."