Sperm donor who fathered 15 children knew he had FRAGILE X SYNDROME but refused to reveal it
A sperm donor on Facebook duped a number of couples and fathered 15 children. He refused to tell women that he had an inherited cognitive disability. Despite having incurable Fragile X syndrome, a congenital disease that causes poor IQ and developmental delay, James MacDougall, 37, fathered children with lesbian women through private contributions announced on social media.
MacDougall's identity was revealed in a family court fight in Derby, England, when he sought for parental responsibility and child arrangement orders for four of his children, despite signing an agreement indicating he didn't want contact with three of his children. The applications were contested by the children's moms. MacDougall was identified by Derby Court Judge Justice Nathalie Lieven to prevent other women from using him as a sperm donor, and she concluded that he should not be held responsible for the children since it would hurt them. The judge also barred MacDougall from seeking a court order for the next three years, citing his lack of understanding of his actions and the mothers' anguish.
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One woman, only named as SW, 25, said in court that she contacted MacDougall after viewing his advertising. Her children are now three and two years old. Due to Fragile X condition, SW's three-year-old child is nonverbal and has problematic behavior. According to the Mirror, after giving delivery, SW phoned MacDougall, who came to see her frequently. During the Covid-19 lockdown, she became pregnant with her second child, and MacDougall stayed at her house until she requested him to leave in June 2020. SW alleged he made sexual remarks to her and at least twice bathed with the infant. In June 2020, he was arrested for assaulting her.
MacDougall won a lawsuit in a different court that allowed him to have frequent contact with a July 2018-born child he fathered. Lieven postponed the case until public care could provide a report when the youngster returned with non-accidental bruising. According to the court, MacDougall chose private sperm donations since he knew he couldn't go via a clinic due to his illness. The judge doubted MacDougall's ability to communicate the ramifications of Fragile X syndrome to the moms.
“There is a very specific benefit in his being named in the hope that women will look him up on the internet and see this judgment,” the judge said after refusing his lawyer’s request for anonymity. “The usual approach of anonymity in the family courts should not be used as a way for parents to behave in an unacceptable manner and then hide behind the cloak of anonymity.”
June and John MacDougall, MacDougall's adoptive parents, stepped out in his defense to the Daily Mail, stating he is a "victim." “He is kindhearted and would do anything for anybody, but he is gullible,” June said.