Pair behind sperm donor fertility firm face prison

Two men are facing jail after being convicted of running an illegal fertility company providing women with access to sperm donors.

Nigel Woodforth, 43, ran business from the basement of his home in Reading, Berkshire, with 49-year-old Ricky Gage.

A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London convicted both of three counts each of providing sperm without a licence or third-party agreement.

The pair, who earned an estimated 250,000 from the enterprise, will be sentenced next week.

Judge Deborah Taylor told them: "The court is considering a custodial sentence and, or a fine in relation to these matters." Nearly 800 women signed up to use the online service provided by the company, operating under various names including Sperm Direct Ltd. Its website introduced would-be donors to women desperate to conceive.