Leeson brought to book, namesake denies complicity

FANCY some advice from Nick Leeson on investment, insurance and pensions? You could be forgiven for preferring to buy a used car from Richard Nixon. But while the infamous Leeson is now doing porridge in a Singapore jail after -conviction for his role in the collapse of Barings Bank, his unfortunate namesake, an independent financial adviser from south Yorkshire, is struggling to live down the name.

Mr Nicholas J. Leeson, who for the past 12 years has been offering independent advice on investments and pensions, says he understands simple arithmetic, does not own a baseball cap and "is certainly not related". Mr Leeson, growing weary of the predictable jokes, said this week that he has never been to Singapore and his company, N.J. Leeson & Co, has no plans to open a branch office in the Far East.

Meanwhile the real Nick Leeson, who had plenty of time for scribbling in Frankfurt while awaiting extradition to Singapore, is soon to tell his side of the story. His autobiographical book, named Rough Trader, is expected to be released worldwide on February 23rd. In it, Leeson is said to "lift the lid" on what has been called the financial crime of the century. The greater crime, that of wearing a baseball cap back-to-front, remains under investigation by the fashion police.