Man accused of running dark web child abuse sites

"It is alleged that he worked as a "global moderator" under the username Loudechoes on a site called Olympus, and that his illegal activities spanned more than 18 months. He is also accused of working on another alleged child abuse site between 20 July 2023 and 15 June 2024. The case has been sent to Wood Green Crown Court, where a plea hearing is expected to take place on 19 February."

"Slate is charged with: 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 organised crime group Six counts of distributing an indecent photograph or pseudophotograph of a child Three counts of making indecent photographs or pseudophotographs of a child One count of possessing a prohibited image of a child."

"Slate is alleged to have facilitated the sharing of more than 2,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse between July 2023 and February 2025, as well as amassing around 57,000 illegal images of children, including more than 10,000 in the most serious category of abuse, the court heard. Slate has been released on bail under nine conditions, including compliance with National Crime Agency requests to access his electronic devices."

A suspected paedophile from north London, Matthew Slate, 36, from Haringey, is accused of running dark-web forums to share images and videos of child sexual abuse. He is alleged to have acted as a "global moderator" under the username Loudechoes on a site called Olympus, worked on another alleged child abuse site between 20 July 2023 and 15 June 2024, and paid Monero in August 2024 to host a third forum, SoulCloud 2. Prosecutors allege he facilitated sharing of more than 2,000 abusive images and videos between July 2023 and February 2025 and amassed around 57,000 illegal images, including over 10,000 in the most serious category. He faces multiple charges including arranging sexual exploitation of a child under 13, participating in organised crime, distributing and making indecent images, and possessing prohibited images. The case has been sent to Wood Green Crown Court with a plea hearing expected on 19 February. He was released on bail under nine conditions, including device access for investigators, bans on encryption and specified messaging apps, prohibition from accessing the dark web, and no unsupervised contact with children.

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