Global Dark Web Network Targeted as UK Man Faces Charges Over Alleged Child Abuse Forums

A Man from north London is being charged for his role as a major player in dark web child abuse networks. Prosecutors say he served as a global moderator, overseeing the sexual exploitation of children online.

This case provides further evidence that online predators can operate in the dark areas of the Internet. It comes at a time when the UK implements one of the world’s strictest laws against these types of criminal activity.

The Online Child Abuse Allegations

Matthew Slate, 36, of Haringey, appeared this week at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court, accused of being a member of an international syndicate operating on the dark web.

The accusation against Slate is that he served as a global moderator for a website known as Olympus using the online pseudonym ‘Loudechoes’. His illegal activities reportedly spanned more than 18 months. The targeting of individuals who operate such sites is a key component of the UK’s strategic crackdown on the infrastructure of child exploitation. He also allegedly worked on another abuse site and paid cryptocurrency in August 2024 to host a third forum called SoulCloud 2.

The charges against him are extensive. According to the court documents, there are three counts of arranging or otherwise facilitating the sexual exploitation of children under 13 years of age; two counts of joining an organised crime syndicate and a total of 77 counts of creating and distributing indecent images of children and having them in your possession.

The prosecution alleges that between July 2023 and February 2025, Slate facilitated the circulation of over 2,000 child sexual abuse incidents and personally stored more than 57,000 illegal images. Over 10,000 of these were in the most severe category of abuse.

Slate Out on Bail with Strict Conditions

Slate will attend a plea hearing on February 19 at Wood Green Crown Court. Before the hearing, the court granted him bail with nine mandatory conditions.

Slate must follow any requests made by the National Crime Agency in relation to obtaining access to his electronic devices. He cannot use any encryption software or programs that can erase data.

Additionally, Slate cannot use Messenger or encrypted messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal, or Snapchat, and he is barred from accessing any dark web websites.

And finally, he must not delete his online browsing history. Slate must spend the night at his north London home or an alternative address in Epping and cannot have any unsupervised contact with children.

UK Leads the Fight Against Online Child Sexual Predatory

The United Kingdom is aggressively cracking down on online child predators and other related offences these days. This legislative push stands in stark contrast to reported global failures, as major digital platforms are alleged to be losing the battle against the spread of child exploitation material. Lawmakers rolled out some of the world’s toughest rules on using AI to create child pornography or any other obscene content.

In February 2025, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper introduced four new offences that will now include possession or creation of AI technology that produces child sexual abuse. Convicting someone of these offences can result in prison sentences of up to 5 years. Possessing AI “paedophile manuals” will also become a crime.

Authorities created a separate charge called a ‘specific offence’ to punish individuals who run or manage websites that allow users to share abusive images or information about sexually grooming children. Individuals convicted of this new ‘specific offence’ may be subject to a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment.

Lawmakers designed the statutory provisions to close gaps created by rapid advances in technology, which offenders exploit to produce highly realistic child abuse imagery, abuse children, and evade law enforcement detection.