LONDON — The Family Court's top judge, Sir Andrew McFarlane, dismissed a declaration of parentage application from Robert Albon on Tuesday, barring him from being named on a child's birth certificate. Albon had brought the application after learning that the mother's partner was registered as the father on the baby's birth certificate.

"The facts of this case are extreme," McFarlane said in his ruling. 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."

It is agreed that Albon is the biological father of the child. The mother, who was in a lesbian relationship at the time of conception but was not married, and her partner paid Albon £100 in cash and a £150 Amazon gift card before the mother became 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 mother and her partner did not want 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.

Albon, who is originally from the United States and in his 50s, calls himself Joe Donor and advertises on Facebook and Instagram. He has claimed to have fathered 180 children around the world. He has said he donated because he wanted to help create life, and has said he did not make any money from sperm donation and was lucky to break even on travel expenses.

Because Albon does not donate through a licensed clinic, the arrangements are unregulated. UK regulations require licensed clinics to limit sperm from a single donor to creating a maximum of 10 families. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority strongly recommends treatment at a licensed clinic where laws and guidance protect patients and donors.

It is rare for a parent in a Family Court case to be publicly named, to protect children's identities. BBC Wales obtained a court order lifting the restriction on naming Albon in the case on public interest grounds.

In a separate 2023 judgment published in February 2025, Albon applied to be named on another child's birth certificate and to have its surname changed to his. Jonathan Furness KC rejected that application, finding it was not in the best interests of the child. At the fact-finding hearing, Furness KC said Albon had initiated legal proceedings to support his immigration position to stay in the UK. In May 2025, a judgment published in the Family Court rejected Albon's application for custody of two children.