Richey's runaway son arrested for failing to show up in court

In an interview given to The Blade newspaper in Ohio, Wendy Richey, Richey's former wife, said: "He was hoping to be able to see his dad. They haven't had any physical contact since Sean was a baby. He just wanted to have a moment."

Wendy, who came to Ohio with her son, said Richey was upset that he wasn't able to see Sean. "It's upsetting to him - the fact that he's in Putnam County anyways and he's incarcerated and they're not going to be allowed to see each other," she said. "That's very upsetting because it may be a long time before they get that opportunity again."

Scottish anti-death penalty campaigner Karen Torley, who was once engaged to Richey, said Sean's actions were "an act of desperation".

"The boy wanted to see his dad, OK it wasn't the right way to do it, but all he wanted to do was hug his dad - that was the thing that was upsetting Kenny too."

She added: "Sean was told he was going to court and he asked permission from the prosecutor if he could see his dad because he was getting tossed out the country. The prosecutor agreed but the probation officer said no.

"That boy has been desperate to see his dad. He's never even hugged his dad so he has broke the bail conditions to go on the run and see him, but unfortunately his dad was in hospital by then. It's a tragedy."

Richey, 43, has been on death row in Ohio for 21 years after being convicted of setting a fire that killed two-year-old Cynthia Collins. Last week he was due to appear at a hearing where he was to plead no contest to attempted involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and breaking and entering. It was hoped Richey would be back in the UK yesterday but ill health postponed his release.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but a statement that no defence will be presented. Richey, who has always protested his innocence, refused a plea bargain that would have led to an 11-year sentence for arson and manslaughter.

By making a no contest plea he would be released immediately on account of time already served. A condition of the plea will be that he must leave the US within 24 hours of his release. This would mean Richey is unlikely to be able to travel to Minnesota to see his son or family before leaving the country.

A new court date has been set for January 8, but Ken Parsigian, Richey's lawyer, said this was a "meaningless date" and that the judge "plucked the date out the air".

"When he is healthy enough to have the hearing we will contact the judge and get a date. It may be as early as this week but the timing is really unfortunate with the Christmas holidays," Parisigian said.

"What I can say is that it is likely to happen before the 8th."

Richey is now back in Putnam County Jail awaiting a new trial date, and contemplating life as a free man.

Paddy Hill, one of the Birmingham Six who was wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years, joined with John McManus to found the Miscarriage of Justice Organisation (Mojo) to help people such as Richey who have protested their innocence. Hill said he was planning to meet with Richey once he was released to offer support and advice on how to cope with the outside world.

"There is no-one else who can help Kenny but us," he said. "We understand what he's going through."

Hill said Richey would feel like a "hand grenade with the pin out waiting to explode" as he waited to leave prison.

"The only day you think about is release, you don't think about the day afterwards, you don't prepare yourself for it. The old saying, be careful what you wish for, when you get it you may not know what to do with it', is exactly true for us. We had been fighting for so many years but after all those years we are not fit to be released into society, we are not prepared whatsoever."

Last week McManus and Hill met Maria Eagle MP from the justice ministry to ask for support in building a £1 million retreat that would provide counselling and respite for people mistreated by the justice system. Eagle has agreed to help with a business plan for what would be the first retreat of its kind in the world.

Hill said Richey was unlikely to ever re-adjust to life outside. "Prison changes you. It's only after you come out you realise you've changed. None of us ever get back to reality; we are never put back together again. None of us has had proper counselling, and it's time they did something, and that's why we are campaigning for a retreat."

Prisoners who have served lengthy sentences and are due for release are put through a lengthy process to help them cope with day-to-day situations on the outside. However, those who have been wrongfully convicted are not offered any similar assistance.

McManus said: "It's a national shame that the prison system is there to protect the public, and yet when they get it wrong the innocent are still coming off worse."

Ray Krone was the 100th American to be exonerated from death row since 1973. He was originally sentenced to death in 1992 and spent 10 years in prison, three of which were on death row, for the rape and murder of Kimberley Ancona. Krone had been dubbed the Snaggletooth Killer after a bite mark was found on the victim, which a forensic odontologist testified as belonging to Krone.

He was released in 2002 after testing of blood found on the victim was matched to the real killer, Kenneth Phillips.

Krone said it would be difficult for Richey to shake his "prison mentality" especially after coming so close to execution. Thirteen years ago Richey was one hour away from the electric chair.

"I saw people go to the execution chambers and they never came back. They never put up a fight, they didn't cry or say don't kill me'. We all made peace with dying because we thought dying can't be worse than life on death row. When you aren't afraid to die life is a whole different colour."

Krone said that to survive death row he had to "flatline his emotions".

"I never got too excited about good news or too depressed about the bad. He Richey has done that for more than 20 years.

"You can't show your frustration or get angry because they will hurt you in there, you get stabbed up, they play you in there. He's going to be excited about getting out but he will find it difficult getting his emotions back after all this time.

"He could be a very generous man but in those troubling times he will revert back to prison mentality. He will have no life skills. He won't be able to tolerate other people because in prison you don't let other people's problems affect you."

Krone said when he was released from Arizona State Prison he was "happy about all the things he could now do, but then it soon hit me there was so much I couldn't do".

He said patience and a good sense of humour got him through the first few months of release.

Krone went on to say life would be more difficult for Richey because he took a plea of no contest.

"People will say he did it and that will hang over his head. I can understand why he took the plea because he'd get out, but I wouldn't have wanted to get out under those circumstances because it leaves room for people to point the finger at you. Put it this way; they won't go looking for anyone else."

When asked what advice he would give Richey, Krone said: "I'd say to Kenny that you should stand by those who have stood by you through all this, and, secondly, he shouldn't make any big decisions. Take it slow, rejoice in your freedom and be thankful for it.

"He knew who he was in prison, when he gets out he needs to make sense of the man he is on the outside and that takes time."

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