A man from north London has been charged with operating dark web forums that facilitated the distribution of child sexual abuse materials. Matthew Slate, 36, from Haringey, appeared in Highbury Corner Magistrates‘ Court, where it was revealed that he was allegedly part of a global organized network.
According to the court, Slate served as a „global moderator“ under the alias Loudechoes on a platform known as Olympus, with his illicit activities reportedly spanning over 18 months. He is also accused of involvement with another suspected child abuse site from July 20, 2023, to June 15, 2024.
Charges and Allegations
The case has been forwarded to Wood Green Crown Court, where a plea hearing is scheduled for February 19. Prosecutors claim that in August 2024, Slate used the cryptocurrency Monero to pay for hosting a third forum, SoulCloud 2, on the dark web.
Slate faces multiple charges, including:
- Three counts of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13 years of age
- Two counts of participating in the criminal activities of an organized crime group
- Six counts of distributing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child
- Three counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child
- One count of possessing a prohibited image of a child
It is alleged that Slate enabled the sharing of over 2,000 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse between July 2023 and February 2025, while accumulating approximately 57,000 illegal images, including more than 10,000 classified in the most severe category of abuse.
Bail Conditions
Slate has been released on bail with nine conditions, which include complying with requests from the National Crime Agency to access his electronic devices. He is prohibited from using encryption or data-wiping software, messaging applications such as Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Signal, as well as accessing the dark web or deleting his browsing history.
Furthermore, he is required to reside overnight at his home in north London or an alternative address in Epping and is barred from having unsupervised contact with children.
Bildquelle: Jonathan Borba auf Pexels
