Mystery sperm donor who fathered at least 40 children speaks out for the first time

A wedding photographer has claimed to be Britain's "most successful sperm donor", having fathered at least 40 children.
Declan Rooney, 42, was today unmasked by The Mail on Sunday as the man behind an anonymous sperm donor website who has potentially fathered up to 55 kids.
He says 32 women are currently pregnant with his children, and another 15 are due to take pregnancy tests after he donated sperm to them.
He has also given sperm to two more women who have already had their babies, and has six children born naturally to three different women.
This means that altogether, he could have fathered up to 55 kids.
Mr Rooney, who is also a web designer, set up a sperm donor website last year, offering to visit women or meet them in hotels within a 50-mile radius of his home in Middlesborough.
Mr Rooney also advertises his "service" on Facebook, calling himself Upton North,.
He advertises himself to single women, lesbians and couples "desperate for a baby" and his website states in the case of single women: "I am willing to help either through artificial insemination or naturally with no strings attached."
Rooney set up the site last March, through a web hosting company that specialises in keeping the registrant's details out of the public domain.
Rooney, who insists he acts within the law, says he only charges ‘expenses’ and that his motives are purely ‘altruistic’.
He says since launching his website, he has received 5,000 e-mails.
He told the Mail on Sunday: "I like helping people. Have you changed anyone’s lives for the better?"
Speaking of the two successful births, he added: "When I was told, I was really happy for the mothers. I like meeting new people, I like hearing their stories, I like problem-solving. I’m quite an altruistic person. I haven’t done anything illegal.

Top spec: Mr Rooney lists his fatherly credentials on the website

On his website are pictures of ultrasounds of two of the first successful pregnancies from his donated sperm, a donation sample pot, and positive reviews and feedback from clients.
He states on there to that he has no genetic health problems and to have never smoked, taken drugs or been on dating websites.
A lesbian couple from Redcar, one of whom got pregnant on the second attempt at artificial insemination, wrote: "This is our 20 weeks scan, over the moon we are having a healthy baby ‪‎boy‬. Thank you once again, can’t explain how much it means to us both."
Mr Rooney has a partner, but told the Mail they understood his reasons for donating.
Sperm donations are not illegal unless a man charges for the service, but the risks of private donations include reports of women being abused, pressured into sex or forced to hand over money.

Sample: A sperm donation pot with good luck message from Declan Rooney

Unregulated donors are becoming more common as a cycle of artificial insemination costs £850 privately and is only offered to selected NHS patients, but experts are concerned about unregulated sperm donation amid fears there could be a ticking time bomb if guidelines designed to limit the number of families a donor can help to 10 are breached.
As well as growing up without knowing their father, children potentially live close to each other, meaning half-siblings could meet and unknowingly have children of their own, limiting their gene pool.
However, Mr Rooney insisted: "I wouldn’t donate if I had something genetically wrong. And there is no risk that my offspring will unknowingly have sex with each other because evolution makes sure that we are not attracted to people with the same genes."
A Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) spokesman warned women using online donors ran risks including no screening for sexual diseases and genetic defects, as well as risk to personal saferty.
The donor could also claim to be a legal parent.