A man claims to have fathered 46 children through a sperm donor service he set up to ‘help women in need’.

Declan Rooney, who has eight children of his own, insists he receives no money for his work.

But experts have called for the 43-year-old’s activities to be investigated amid fears his unregulated service could be unsafe.

Declan Rooney describes himself as Britain's most successful sperm donor will soon have father 54 babies in less than two years offering his services

Mr Rooney says he has fathered 17 boys and 14 girls since setting up his donor website last year. He claims another 15 women are pregnant by him. Brushing off criticism, he said: ‘Egg donors get treated like saints, sperm donors get treated like back alley, smutty boys – but I’m not doing a bad thing.

‘I’m not ashamed. I have helped women create families.’

Mr Rooney, whose eight children were born to four different mothers, travels up to 200 miles to meet women clients and says he charges only for his expenses.

His website says the service is on offer to lesbian couples, single women, bisexual women and heterosexual couples who cannot conceive themselves. He advertises on Facebook and through a mobile phone app.

He claims his service has proved so popular that he even helped three women to conceive in a single 24-hour period.

‘I’ve been inundated from the start,’ said the former web designer. ‘There were women who had been trying to have a baby for three or four years so it was very busy to begin with.

He claims to help create families. This is the advert on a website to advertise his services last year, which was eventually taken down, although he is still a donor

‘I have helped people who have been to clinics where it’s failed, and it has worked first time with me. There are more babies born in the UK by private donation than through private clinics.’

Official guidelines for sperm donation state that legitimate donors should help create a maximum of ten families.

Mr Rooney claims to carry out health screening of all potential mothers as well as asking for proof of their income and benefits to ensure they can afford to look after a child.

He has claimed on his website that he is willing to help women either through artificial insemination or ‘naturally with no strings attached’.

But he denies any suggestion that he has slept with women he is supposedly helping.

I'm not doing a bad thing Declan Rooney

He told the Sunday Mirror: ‘I could have gone to bed with quite a few of my successes, but it’s not about that. It’s about helping other people.’

His partner, with whom he has a three-year-old son, a two-year-old daughter and another daughter aged one, is supportive of his sperm donation service.

Experts have also raised fears that his children could grow up in the same area, raising the possibility that half-brothers and sisters might have children together.

Mr Rooney said he had ensured the women were aware of other recipients, while also claiming that their ‘privacy is still respected’.

He has previously claimed that he does not tell clients about his past offending – he was convicted of criminal damage in 1993.

He appeared in the Daily Mail that year smiling as he left court after he admitted causing £60,000 of damage with his graffiti spraypaint gang.

After serving seven months in a young offenders institution while waiting to stand trial, he was given a suspended sentence.

After the hearing he told reporters: ‘My barrister’s a genius. I’m laughing. It’s a soft touch.’

The court was told police had described him as the country’s most prolific graffiti artist.

RULES ON UK DONORS AT A LICENSED CENTRE IN THE UK The rules on who can be a sperm donor in the UK are very strict, governed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to protect the recipients, the child and the donor. Donors must: Be between the ages of 18 and 41

Be willing to be screened for medical conditions

Have no known serious medical disability or family history of hereditary disorders

Know (or be able to find out) their immediate family medical history – children, siblings, parents and grandparents

Agree to be registered with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) as a donor and be willing to be known to any child born following their donation

Not put themselves at risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Not knowingly leave out any relevant information which could affect the health of any children born as a result of their donation

Receive implications counselling

Not receive payment for donating other than compensation for expenses (up to £35 per clinic visit)

Only donate to up to 10 families Advertisement