A HAMPSHIRE woman is fighting to save a British prisoner on death row - by selling his works of art on an Internet auction site.

Beth Currie joined a national campaign to free Kenny Richey, who recently began his 18th year living under a death sentence in the US state of Ohio for starting a fire in which a young girl died in 1986.

The 39-year-old Scot, who has always proclaimed his innocence, is now facing the final set of appeals against his sentence.

Beth, of Luccomb Road, Southampton, read Richey's story in a magazine, and decided to get involved in the campaign.

"I came across the story in the magazine and after visiting the official campaign website on the Amnesty International site I wanted to get involved," said 31-year-old Beth.

The organiser of the campaign, who is now also Richey's fiancee - Karen Richey, then asked for help to raise vital funds for the campaign.

Beth, a member of Amnesty International, volunteered and is now selling artwork done by Richey in his prison cell, on Ebay, and is fetching as much as £38 for some pieces.

The pictures are of a wide subject variety, including Scottish landscapes, boats, and animals.

"Karen posted the artwork to me and I am putting it on Ebay in batches. One piece is up for auction and bids are up to £38," said Beth, who firmly believes Richey is innocent.

"I believe that he is innocent and that he has been treated really badly," she said.

Richey was convicted of arson and the aggravated murder of two-year-old Cynthia Collins.

The toddler died of smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at her mother's flat. Hope Collins, Cynthia's mother and a friend of Richey's later claimed that she had left him in charge of the child while she went out for the evening.

During the trial the prosecution claimed that Richey started the fire in a bid to harm his ex-girlfriend and her partner who lived in the flat below.

Richey's case is now fast moving to the end of the judicial process.

In April it was sent back for review to judges at Ohio's Supreme Court, who will decide whether his murder conviction is safe.

If Richey loses the appeal, a date for execution by lethal injection, could be set and his final hope will then lie in being granted clemency by the Governor of Ohio.

Last month 150 MPs signed a Commons motion backing Richey's claim of innocence after Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to look into the case.