LinkedIn stalker terrorised company boss

A LinkedIn stalker became obsessed with a female CEO after attending one of her lectures, a court heard.

Derek Egan, 39, was ‘fixated’ with the woman and terrorised her between 1 October 2024 and 18 August 2025.

After introducing himself at a talk, Egan began sending a barrage of unsolicited letters containing ‘marriage and child fantasies’ to her company’s address.

The 39-year-old attended another event advertised on LinkedIn in March 2025, during which he asked the terrified CEO to leave with him.

He tried to enter the company’s offices in April but was ‘escorted out’ and disappeared before police arrived at the scene.

Put on police bail, Egan started ‘tailgating employees’ into the offices in an attempt to see her and would wear hats to avoid CCTV detection.

The stalking continued until August 2025 with Egan admitting at Westminster Magistrates Court he had attended his victims home address as recently as the last ‘two-to-three weeks.’

Wearing a maroon t-shirt, jeans and glasses, Egan admitted stalking causing serious alarm or distress.

Prosecutor Ellen Alexander said: ‘The complainant in this case was initially contacted by the defendant via LinkedIn, after he had attended a talk hosted by her in October 2024.

‘It’s the case that, we say, he developed an obsession and became fixated with her over the following months

‘Initially it was sending communications which have increased in frequency, to then attending her place of work on a number of occasions and leaving unwanted gifts.

‘He was arrested at her place of work on 30 April this year but he continued to make unwanted contact with her while he was on police bail conditions not to contact her and not to attend certain areas.

‘This has had a substantial impact on her life.’

Ms Alexander said Egan first met the CEO in October 2024 at an ‘event with around 100 people’ where the two shared a ‘brief conversation’ after Egan ‘introduced himself’.

In March 2025 he again turned up to ‘an event that she’d put on LinkedIn’ before ‘asking her if she could come with him to leave.

‘She said to him in the lift to stop sending packages.

‘She said he looked sad at this point and then she was out of the country for a number of months, she has been told that on a number of occasions he’s entered the office building.

‘In April of this year he was escorted out of the building and the police were called.’

By the end of the month, Egan was sending ‘letters and packages daily’ to the company address at Notting Hill.

‘The content of the letters were about how he feels about the company, how he feels he’s been mentored by the company, plus long and rambling personal stories,’ said Ms Alexander

‘It is important to note the company has never done any work with him, some of the letters were addressing the CEO and other people that she doesn’t believe work for the company.’

In a statement read out in court, the CEO said: ‘My team opened the parcels he was delivering to the office buildings and I am now in fear of what I have seen.

‘There is a marriage fantasy and a child fantasy which makes me feel nervous for my young family – there are images of engagement rings and maternity wards.

‘He has a fantasy of an imaginary life of us together, I feel unsafe in my own home.

‘These series of incidences left me really concerned for my company and myself.

‘My address is public as I’m a company director, I’m concerned he may attend my address – I have two young children at home I’m also concerned for.’

She referred to Egan ‘lurking outside’ her offices and on 20 May ‘tailgating someone into the office and getting access to the third floor.’

‘He wears a hat to cover his head so he cannot be seen by the camera.

‘He takes his hat off and then waves it to the camera, it makes me feel threatened – it makes it seem he’s intentionally saying he doesn’t care about any of the conditions and can still come to my workplace.’

The prosecutor said that ‘very serious distress’ had been caused to the complainant and described the offending as ‘persistent action over a prolonged period of time.’

She said the range of sentencing for the offence was a starting point of two years in custody with a range of one to four years.

Egan, choosing to represent himself, ‘agreed with everything’ the prosecution said, but volunteered that he had already been to the complainant’s home address.

‘I have attended her home in the last two-to-three weeks several times already’, he said from the dock.

Asked about his living arrangements, Egan said he was in ‘temporary accommodation’ but was ‘searching for a more closer residence to central London.’

District Judge Patricia Evans adjourned sentencing until 2 October back at Westminster Magistrates’ Court while a report is prepared.

She said she had ‘some concerns’ about the defendant’s mental health and advised him to consider finding a solicitor for the next hearing.

‘I’m happy to maintain representing myself’, he replied.

Egan, of Hillingdon, west London, admitted stalking causing serious alarm or distress and remains in custody.