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Former death row Scot Kenny Richey is to spend his days of freedom campaigning to save the lives of other condemned prisoners.

Richey revealed his plans as he prepared to return home. He is due to touch Scottish soil for the first time in more than 20 years when he arrives at Edinburgh Airport this afternoon.

Amnesty International, which campaigned for his release, welcomed his support, and said its members would greet Richey at the airport.

John Watson, Scottish programme director of Amnesty, said: "I was pleased that almost the first thing he said when he was a free man was that he wanted to help others who he knew were innocent.

"The case he mentioned in particular was one we are also working on, involving John Spirko, which is very similar to Kenny's. He has been on death row for 23 years and the conviction is very dubious."

He said Spirko, convicted of the abduction and murder of a 48-year-old woman and due to be executed on January 24, became friends with Richey.

"There is an interesting parallel - one guy is flying home and the other is in deep trouble. We've a lot to say about the strength of that case as well," he added.

Richey's former fiancee, Karen Torley, told how Richey said he was dedicated to doing all he could to save the lives of other prisoners he believed were innocent men on death row.

She said: "When he comes home he will join Amnesty International and look at these cases."

Richey, 43, who once came within an hour of being executed, walked free on Monday after a plea deal. He had been in jail since 1986, when he was accused of setting an Ohio apartment on fire, killing a toddler.

Shortly after his release, Richey spoke on the phone to his 22-year-old son, Sean, who was at his home in Baxter, Minnesota.

He then spent his first day of freedom reunited with family members after 21 years on death row in the United States, according to his lawyer.

Following his release, he enjoyed lunch with brother Steven and other family members, and had a "really loving, warm, lovely, private time", Ken Parsigian said.

The lawyer took Richey, his brother and family and the legal team out to lunch. He then spent the evening with his family and reconnected with many people", Mr Parsigian added.

And he revealed Richey had the dish he had been longing for all those years inside - a steak lunch. He got a New York strip, and he was happy," the lawyer said. Richey stayed at his brother's house last night and is now on the way to the airport in Dayton, Ohio, he added.

PR guru Max Clifford, who is representing Richey, said yesterday there was a huge amount of interest in his story. Mr Clifford confirmed that book publishers and documentary makers have made inquiries about his client's story and deals have already been done with two newspapers to tell his story on his return to Britain.

Mr Clifford said: "There is considerable interest in Scotland, not surprisingly because most people that I've spoken to who have known Kenny and had anything to do with him over the last couple of years have said that the man is totally innocent, so he has obviously got a story to tell."

He said that selling his story could bring Richey some much-needed income: "He is not getting millions of pounds in compensation for the 21 years he has been locked up and this is the only chance he has of making some money that he can live on. He hasn't got two ha'pennies to rub together.

Meanwhile, Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael yesterday tabled a motion in the House of Commons welcoming Richey's return to the UK.