Richey in wait for life-saving device

But despite requesting the equipment more than five weeks ago, Richey said the authorities in Ohio had still not provided him with the machine.

People with untreated sleep apnoea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, often for a minute or longer.

The disorder can lead to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases, memory problems, weight gain and headaches. Many deaths among people in their 40s and older that are attributed to heart disease may be related to sleep apnoea.

Speaking from prison, Richey said: "My health is pretty bad. My diabetes is under control, but the doctors said that it [the sleep apnoea] is very severe and can stop me breathing more than 100 times a night. They told the prison system that I needed a machine to regulate my breathing, but five weeks on there is still no sign of it, as the prison is looking to get the cheapest machine possible.

"I could die while they are waiting on this machine. It is typical of the system here, though. They just want to drag everything out, make it as difficult as possible."

Richey, 41, was first diagnosed with the problem in 1999 after a cell-mate demanded to be moved because of the snoring, another side-effect of sleep apnoea. In 2004 doctors carried out an operation on Richey to remove part of his soft palate, and since then he has been undergoing follow-up studies at a sleep clinic.

Doctors have now said he still has acute symptoms, and have recommended he be given a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) pump, which maintains a constant pressure of air through a nose/full face mask while the patient is asleep. This keeps the throat from closing, the cause of sleep apnoea, and allows free breathing during sleep.

Regular use of the pump has also been shown to have other positive long-term effects such as improved mood, memory and concentration, as well as better blood pressure and reduction of the chance of heart attacks or strokes.

Richey, who was born to a Scottish mother and an American father, has been on Death Row for nearly 20 years, after being found guilty of deliberately starting a fire that killed two-year-old Cynthia Collins in June 1986.

Last year, Richey's conviction was quashed by an Ohio Appeal Court, but the Supreme Court later reversed that decision.

Karen Torley, Richey's former fiancée who has worked on the campaign to free him for more than a decade, said the prison authorities had been consistently slow in dealing with his health problems. She said:

"He has had so many problems with his health and I think a lot of it could be linked to the sleep apnoea, so if they now have a recommendation for how to treat it they should follow the doctors' advice."

THE FACTS
June 30, 1986: Two-year-old Cynthia Collins dies in a fire at her home. Her mother Hope, claims Richey had agreed to babysit. He denies this.

- January 1987: Richey is sentenced to death. An immediate appeal was lodged.

- March 1997: Evidence linking Richey to the fire is said to be seriously flawed by lawyers fighting his appeal. The Ohio Court of Common Pleas rejects the appeal. By now, 13 dates had been set for Richey's execution, but all were stayed.

- January 25, 2005: Richey's death sentence is overturned on the grounds that his original legal team committed fundamental errors. The state of Ohio is told to release him or re-try his case within 90 days.

- June 30, 2005: Ohio's Putnam County Prosecutor Gary Lammers announces that his office would seek a re-trial. An appeal against the overturning of his sentence is also lodged with the Supreme Court.

- November 28, 2005: Richey learns he faces another 18 months in prison after the US Supreme Court overturns his appeal and orders the 6th Circuit Federal Court of Appeal to reconsider its judgement.