GOOD NEWS You're free from Death Row ... BAD NEWS Your heart scare means you'll have to stay

After languishing on Death Row since 1987, the 43-year-old Briton was due to be freed yesterday after a plea bargain with the U.S. authorities.

But last night his Christmas homecoming was on hold after a heart scare forced the postponement of the hearing which would have secured his release.

Richey, sentenced to death for an arson attack in which a two-year-old girl died, but which he has always fiercely denied, complained of chest pains just a few hours before he was due to appear in court in Putnam, Ohio.

He had agreed to plead no contest to reduced charges as part of a legal manoeuvre to secure his freedom.

Instead he was transferred to St Rita's Medical Centre in Limal where he has had a heart catheter fitted and is expected to remain for a couple of days.

The hospital said last night he was in a stable condition.

The hearing has been rescheduled for January 8.

Karen Torley, Richey's exfiance and a long-time campaigner for his release, described the news as a "cruel blow".

She said she believed postponing the trial was a stalling tactic by the authorities.

"I can't believe it. Kenny has had chest pains before and nothing was done," she said.

"Year after year I have fought to get him medical treatment and they didn't even give him vitamin tablets until a couple of months ago."

Richey left his mother Eileen's home in Edinburgh aged 18 to live with his father in Ohio, where he joined the U.S. Marines.

Four years later he went to a party near his father's home and was seen stumbling off drunk.

Later, a fire broke out in a nearby apartment block where Richey's former girlfriend lived.

Two-year-old Cynthia Collins died in the blaze.

No one saw Richey start the fire and no physical evidence linked him to the crime yet the following day he was arrested and charged with murder.

The prosecution claimed he started the fire and dismantled a smoke alarm. With an inexperienced lawyer to represent him, Richey received the death penalty.

At one point during the long battle to free him he came within an hour of the electric chair.

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It has since emerged that Cynthia was fascinated by fire.

The emergency services had been called several times and her mother repeatedly dismantled the smoke alarm because it went off when she was cooking.

The case has drawn worldwide attention because of Richey's dual citizenship and the efforts of Amnesty International on his behalf.

Amnesty's Scotland spokesman Naomi McAuliffe said last night: "Kenny was on the brink of freedom after nearly 21 years and it's a blow to his family and supporters that he will not be home for Christmas.

"The important thing now is that after years of shoddy justice he gets good medical care and makes a speedy return to Scotland."

Alistair Carmichael, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, who has visited Richey in Ohio, said: "I am very concerned at this news.

"Kenny has not kept good health and that is an inevitable consequence of him having been on death row for 20 years.

"Death row in Ohio does not provide adequate healthcare for its inmates and Kenny has suffered as a result of this."

The UK charity Reprieve, which fights for prisoners on Death Row, said Richey had a history of heart problems, and has had two heart attacks.

Legal director Clive Stafford Smith said: "This is a terrible tragedy for Kenny. His health has deteriorated throughout his time on Death Row.

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"I cannot imagine the stresses and strains of being an innocent man on Death Row for 21 years, but they have clearly taken their toll.

"We are all just hoping he makes a speedy recovery and is able to return to the UK as soon as possible."