Remember Nick Leeson

Remember the guy who brightened up 1995, bringing down the then mighty Baring’s Bank single handed and introducing us to the names of exotic places he holidayed in – like Kota Kinabalu?

Baring’s went down for £827 million – million! Makes Leeson seem like a cheap date these days when, without regulation to maintain any semblance of propriety, the banks have madly gambled us into our current international mess.

But Leeson went to jail – to Singapore’s notorious Changi, where he developed cancer and suffered the decampment of his wife. He has rebuilt his life well now, working as General Manager of Galway United Football Club in the west of Ireland, happily remarried and a much-in-demand after dinner speaker.

That doesn’t make it all OK. Will any managers of the banks in current disrepute be jailed? Will any of them even stand trial? , Yet they were rescued with public money from the consequences of their own malpractice in the biggest heist in history – we had no choice but to pay up.

As we’ve said, it makes Leeson look like a cheap date – and much more fun.

Want to remember what it all felt like way back then? Here’s the story and here’s NIck Leeson’s website.