Wood Green man jailed for moderating dark web child abuse forums
Wood Green Crown Court heard Matthew Slate, 36, used platforms to actively share content and engage in conversations about the abuse of children.
A man from North London who moderated multiple dark web sites which shared indecent images of children has been sentenced to six years in prison, following a National Crime Agency investigation.
Matthew Slate, 36, of Wood Green, was a 'Global Moderator' on a pro-paedophile forum – as well as holding prominent positions across six more child abuse forums on the dark web.
Wood Green Crown Court heard he used these platforms to actively share content and engage in sexual conversations about the abuse of children.
He also financed and co-created a new site which was designed as an image hosting tool, a further vehicle for users to upload child abuse material.
NCA officers received intelligence in March 2025 that indicated Slate had indecent images in his possession. Investigators were able to identify his location and arrest him the following day.
Slate's house was searched and officers seized three devices, including a computer which was logged into an online forum where the sexual abuse of children was being discussed. Another tab displayed a site used specifically to upload child sexual abuse material.
Further searches of the devices uncovered nearly 87,000 indecent images of children, with over 15,200 of those found to be Category A, the most severe.
Slate gave a prepared statement at interview where he said he "never intentionally arranged or facilitated the sexual abuse of children". He further claimed he was blackmailed into paying for the image hosting site but provided no evidence to support this.
He pleaded guilty to a number of offences on 19 February and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment and a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order on Friday 8 May.
Robert Lay, NCA Senior Investigation Officer, said: "Slate's depravity led him to become an active member of multiple pro-paedophile forums across the dark web.
"He encouraged others to view, share and discuss vile crimes against children with no regard for the victims involved.
"He benefitted not just through his own sexual gratification but through earning kudos from other members of these sites.
"The NCA is dedicated to bringing the perpetrators of child sexual abuse to justice and we will use the full force of our capabilities to uncover those operating in the shadows of the dark web."