LinkedIn is facing mounting calls to suspend the account of Sam Wall, a 55-year-old digital marketing strategist from Cheadle, who was jailed for 28 months on Friday after pleading guilty to stalking, harassment and malicious communication.
Despite her conviction and a court-issued restraining order, Wall’s LinkedIn Premium profile — with nearly 27,000 followers — remained active at the time of writing.
The Crown Court in Preston heard that Wall’s “prolonged, deliberate and calculated” campaign targeted motivational speaker Brad Burton and tech entrepreneur Naomi Timperley (pictured outside Preston Crown Court).
Judge Usher told Wall: “Your name has become synonymous with online stalking.”
Both victims, who attended court for the sentencing, have condemned LinkedIn’s inaction, accusing the platform of failing to protect users from harassment even after a conviction.
Brad Burton, a business coach and author with a large online following, wrote on LinkedIn shortly after the hearing: “LinkedIn management, hold your heads in shame. Disgusting. This case could have ended with a tragic outcome. Do something, before you have to do something.”
Despite Burton’s public appeals, Wall’s LinkedIn and private Instagram account (with more than 4,500 followers) remained active over the weekend, prompting outrage from the professional networking site’s users.
Hundreds of users have joined the call for LinkedIn to remove Wall’s account, with many criticising the platform’s apparent reluctance to enforce its own harassment policies.
Megan Codling, PR and marketing consultant, asked: “What is LinkedIn doing about it?”
Caroline England, tech entrepreneur and founder of Featherbed Tales, added: “LinkedIn, why have you not removed this account despite repeated requests and a conviction?”
Julian Wellings, video producer, said: “I remain incredulous that the platform has failed to act. They must do better.”
Other LinkedIn users described the situation as “disgraceful” and called on LinkedIn and parent company Microsoft to make an immediate statement.
Corporate photographer Arwyn Bailey said: “You say that you treat bullying and harassment seriously. Well, now is the time to step up. You’ve allowed one person to destroy lives — the knock-on effect on families and businesses is immeasurable.”
Burton has since reported further incidents of harassment on the platform, claiming that another LinkedIn user – Jackie Robinson – had begun continuing Wall’s campaign less than 24 hours after her sentencing.
In a detailed post shared on Monday, he said evidence had been submitted to Lancashire Police and LinkedIn’s safety team, and that his legal representatives and local MP Gideon Amos OBE had been notified.
“If we can’t get this dealt with sensibly today,” Burton wrote, “this case proves how insidiously rigged this platform is for an ordinary person facing a campaign of legally proven lies.
I’d rather be spending my Monday focused on healing, not fighting — again.”
He shared links to further posts and videos alleging continued stalking behaviour under the hashtag #Gangstalking.
The case has reignited concerns over LinkedIn’s moderation policies and its response to harassment on what is often perceived as the most “professional” of social networks.
While Meta, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok have faced widespread criticism for handling of abuse and misinformation, LinkedIn has largely avoided similar controversy — until now.
Business Matters has contacted LinkedIn for comment.
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Pressure mounts on LinkedIn to close account of jailed stalker Sam Wall