A north London man accused of operating multiple dark web forums dedicated to sharing child sexual abuse material has made his first court appearance, facing a series of serious criminal charges.
Allegations of Global Moderation and Cryptocurrency Payments
Matthew Slate, a 36-year-old resident living near Alexandra Park in north London, appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on Thursday to face 15 separate charges. The prosecution alleges that Slate played a significant role in facilitating the sexual exploitation of children as part of what is described as an international organised crime group operating through encrypted dark web platforms.
Multiple Forum Involvement
According to court documents, Slate is accused of serving as a "global moderator" under the username Loudechoes for a dark web site called Olympus. This platform is alleged to have been specifically established for the purpose of distributing images and videos depicting child abuse. The charges state that between April 2024 and February 2025, Slate was responsible for ensuring users adhered to the site's rules while participating in this illegal activity.
Further allegations suggest Slate acted as a "re-up doctor" on another dark web forum known as Neverland, where similar child sexual abuse material was allegedly shared between July 2023 and June 2024. Prosecutors also claim that in August 2024, Slate paid cryptocurrency, specifically Monero, to host a third forum called SoulCloud 2 on the dark web.
Scale of Alleged Offences
The charges presented to the court outline disturbing details about the scale of the alleged activities. Slate is accused of facilitating the sharing of more than 2,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse between July 2023 and February 2025. Additionally, he is alleged to have amassed approximately 57,000 illegal images of children, with more than 10,000 falling into the most serious category of abuse material.
Specific Charges and Bail Conditions
Slate faces multiple serious charges including three counts of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13 years of age, two charges of participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group, six counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child, three charges of making indecent photographs of a child, and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child.
During Thursday's hearing, District Judge Denis Brennan sent the case to Wood Green Crown Court, with a plea hearing scheduled for February 19. Slate did not enter any pleas during this initial appearance.
The defendant has been granted bail under strict conditions that include:
- Complying with police or National Crime Agency requests to view his electronic devices
- Not using encryption software or programmes designed to wipe his devices
- Staying off messaging apps including Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Signal
- Not deleting his internet browsing history
- Not using software to access the dark web
- Living and sleeping at his north London home or an alternative address in Epping
- No unsupervised contact with children
The case represents a significant investigation into dark web activities involving child exploitation, with authorities focusing on how cryptocurrency payments and encrypted platforms are allegedly being used to facilitate these serious crimes.
