Nick Leeson
Nick Leeson was born on 25th February 1967.
Leeson was jailed in Singapore during the middle of the 1990s after losing about £850m of Baring's money, that ultimately led to the collapse of the Bank, one of the City of London's most blue-blooded institutions.
Barings was bought for £1, by the Dutch banking and insurance group ING.
Originally a star trader, the markets started turning against him and Leeson dug himself further and further into a hole.
When Barings carried out a spot audit in February 1995, they found giant losses that roughly equated to the entire assets of the bank.
Leeson had hidden his losses in an account 'Error Account 88888'.
When he was discovered, Leeson and his wife at the time, Lisa, did a runner, but the authorities eventually caught up with Leeson in Germany and he was extradited to Singapore.
Sentenced to six and a half years in jail, he was released from prison in 1999, after being diagnosed with cancer of the colon.
Subsequently Leeson wrote an autobiography 'Rogue Trader', which was made into a film starring Ewan McGregor.
in April 2005 Nick Leeson was appointed commercial director of Galway Football Club. In contrast to the £850m Leeson lost at Barings, it is reported that he will have a budget of £500,000.
Nick Leeson is a keen poker player.
After his wife, Lisa, left him, Nick Leeson married a beautician, Leona.
In 2005, Nick Lesson wrote a book on stress management, Back from the Brink.
You can find out more at Nick Leeson's official site.
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