KENNY RICHEY

Here is a chronology of key events leading up to Kenny Richey’s retrial in Ohio:
August 3, 1964: Kenny Richey is born in Holland to an American father and Scottish mother. His parents moved to Edinburgh when he was a baby.

December 1982: Following his parents' divorce, Richey moves to the US to live with his father in Columbus Grove, Ohio.

1984: Richey moves to Minnesota where he meets his future wife Wendy and joins the US Marines.

1985: Richey discharged from the Marines. After his marriage fails he returns to Columbus Grove to live with his father.

June 30, 1986: One week before Richey is due to return to Scotland, two-year-old Cynthia Collins dies in a house fire.

January 1987: Richey convicted of murder and sentenced to death. An immediate appeal is lodged.

June 30, 1987: Richey's scheduled appointment with the electric chair coincides with the first anniversary of Collins' death. A stay is granted.

1992: A direct appeal is lodged with Ohio Supreme Court and denied by four votes to three.

1994: Richey comes within an hour of death before another stay is granted.

March 1997: An appeal is lodged with the same judge who sentenced Richey to death. It is rejected.

1997: Two witnesses who had claimed they heard Richey threaten to burn down the Ohio flat where Collins died, retract their statements.

1998: An appeal is denied by Ohio Supreme Court.

June 1998: Richey's last scheduled execution date is avoided when a stay is granted and the case is transferred to the federal courts.

March 2004: 150 MPs sign a Commons motion backing Richey's claim of innocence after Prime Minister Tony Blair pledges to look into the case.

January 25, 2005: The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals overturns Richey's conviction and sentence based on incompetent legal counsel.

February 8, 2005: Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro files a state motion to re-hear Richey's case and asks for an extra 14 days to prepare its challenge.

February 22, 2005: Prosecutors file their request for an entire 12-judge appeal court to reconsider its decision.

April 19, 2005: The Appeal Court in the US state of Ohio rules that he should be retried within 90 days or set free.

July 28, 2005: Prosecutors lodge an appeal against the decision to overturn the conviction and Richey's hopes of freedom begin to fade.

September 5, 2006: Appeal court decides to re-hear evidence in January 2007.

January 22, 2007: Judges in Cincinnati decide whether evidence that emerged after his murder trial should be re-examined.

July 12, 2007: Supporters campaigning to save Richey start a fresh petition to pressure new Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take action on the case.

August 10, 2007: His conviction is overturned on appeal for the second time by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

August 26, 2007: US prosecutors say they will not challenge the decision to overturn his conviction. A retrial is ordered.

September 17, 2007: Richey is transferred from a state prison in Youngstown, Ohio, to a county jail in Ottawa as he awaits retrial.