Vein problem delays US execution

Broom has been convicted for the rape and murder of a teenager in 1984

The execution of a prisoner in the US state of Ohio has been delayed for a week after jail officials had problems finding the condemned man's veins.

The execution team struggled for two hours to locate veins of convicted murderer and rapist Romell Broom to inject lethal chemicals via IV tubes.

Broom's lawyer demanded the procedure be stopped, describing it as "cruel".

The week-long reprieve for Broom, aged 53, was later ordered by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.

It is the first time that an Ohio governor has issued a similar last-minute reprieve since the state resumed executions in 1999.

Ohio has executed 32 inmates since then. Several executions were delayed for at least an hour because officials had failed to properly attach IV (intravenous) tubes for the lethal injection.

Romell Broom has been sentenced to die for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Tryna Middleton in 1984.

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