Matthew Slate

Matthew Slate, a 36-year-old resident of north London, admitted to serious offences involving the distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material through dark web platforms. At Wood Green Crown Court, Slate pleaded guilty to 11 criminal charges, including distributing more than 2,000 indecent images of children, some classified as category A—the most severe category—between July 2023 and August 2025. He also amassed approximately 57,000 illegal images, with over 10,000 in the most serious category, and possessed 55 prohibited images as of 15 March 2025.

Slate operated as a 'global moderator' on the dark web site Olympus under the username Loudechoes from 19 April 2024 to 8 February 2025. The site was exclusively dedicated to sharing child sexual abuse material. Additionally, he contributed to another dark web abuse site named Neverland between 20 July 2023 and 15 June 2024, the court heard. These activities took place from his flat on the edge of Alexandra Park in north London.

Prosecutor Corinne Bramwell outlined the charges during the hearing. Slate pleaded not guilty to two counts of participating in activities of an organised crime group and one count of facilitating the sexual exploitation of children. However, the prosecutor stated it was not in the 'public interest' to proceed with those charges, requesting they lie on file. This means no further proceedings will occur on those matters without permission from the Crown Court or Court of Appeal.

Representing Slate, Adrian Langdale KC applied for remand in custody, citing 'threats' stemming from previous media coverage of the case. The court approved this request. Sentencing is scheduled for 8 May 2026 at Wood Green Crown Court. The case was reported by BBC News, drawing from court proceedings and statements from involved parties.