A world without mobiles

As we mentioned on Friday - big news on the Kenny Richey case. This man from Scotland whos been on death row in the USA for a staggering 20 years, has won an appeal that could see him finally released.

An appeals court in Ohio said that Kenny had an unfair trial back in 1987 and unless he gets a retrial the state authorities should let him out.

Kenny has always maintained his innocence and even turned down a plea bargain that could have seen him serving only six years.

On Friday we heard the news when his former girlfriend and long-time campaigner Karen Torley phoned the office. Within the hour we were doing interviews on Sky News and News 24.

It was brilliant to be able to react to good news after years of frustration in campaigning on Kennys case, but now the focus goes back to legal pressure over securing the retrial or the release.

Kennys originally an Edinburgh man and the thing hes been saying hes most looking forward to is simply walking the streets of his home town.

Weve noticed that the emotional agony of year after year on death row leaves people like Kenny hankering after simple pleasures. And, though hes got a MySpace and knows about the 21st century world, you have to remember that this is somebody who went on death row before the invention of the internet, before mobile phones, and before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. Another age.

One thing hed recognise about Edinburgh though, is the festival. If hes a man of any taste I reckon if he were walking Edinburghs cobbled streets this week hed be making sure he had a ticket for the Amnesty Stand Up For Freedom comedy gig this Wednesday.

Lets hope Kennys free for next years festival.