LinkedIn is facing growing 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 communications.
Despite her conviction and the court-issued restraining order, Wall's LinkedIn Premium profile – with almost 27,000 followers – remained active at the time of writing.
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 were present in court for the sentencing, have condemned LinkedIn's inaction, and accused the platform of failing to protect users from harassment even after they were convicted.
Brad Burton, a business coach and author with a large following online, 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.”
Despite Burton's public appeal, Wall's LinkedIn and personal Instagram accounts (with more than 4,500 followers) remained active over the weekend, sparking outrage among users of the professional networking site.
Hundreds of users have joined calls for LinkedIn to remove Wall's account, many of whom have criticized the platform's apparent unwillingness to enforce its harassment policies.
Megan Codling, PR and marketing consultant, asked: “What is LinkedIn doing about it?”
Caroline England, a tech entrepreneur and founder of Featherbed Tales, said: “LinkedIn, why have you not deleted this account despite repeated requests and pleadings?”
Video producer Julian Wellings said: “I have a strong suspicion that the platform has failed to take action. They should have done better.”
Other LinkedIn users described the situation as “outrageous” and called for immediate statements from LinkedIn and parent company Microsoft.
Corporate photographer Arvin Bailey said: “You say you take bullying and harassment seriously. Well, now is the time to take action. You have allowed one person to destroy lives – the impact of this on families and businesses is immeasurable.”
Burton has since reported further incidents of harassment on the platform, claiming that another LinkedIn user – Jackie Robinson – began following Wall's campaign less than 24 hours after the sentencing.
In a detailed post shared on Monday, he said the evidence had been handed over to Lancashire Police and LinkedIn's security team, and his legal representatives and local MP Gideon Amos OBE had been informed.
Burton wrote, “If we can't deal with this sensibly today, this case proves just how fraudulent this platform is for an ordinary person facing a campaign of legally provable lies.
“I would like to spend my Monday focused on healing, not fighting again.”
They shared links to further posts and videos alleging persistent stalking under the hashtag #gangstalking.
The case has reignited concerns over LinkedIn's moderation policies and its response to harassment in what is considered the most “professional” of the social networks.
While Meta, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok have faced widespread criticism for their handling of abuse and misinformation, LinkedIn has largely avoided similar controversy so far.
Business Matters has contacted LinkedIn for comment.
jamie young
Jamie is a senior reporter at Business Matters, with over a decade of experience in UK SME business reporting. Jamie has a degree in Business Administration and regularly attends industry conferences and workshops. When Jamie is not reporting on the latest business developments, he is passionate about mentoring budding journalists and entrepreneurs to inspire the next generation of business leaders.
