Andrew Polson, 54, a former Tory council leader and church organist, was jailed for 22 months in November 2025 after defrauding a pensioner out of her life savings through a bogus property investment scheme. However, he was released after just four months under the Scottish Government's early release scheme, introduced to ease prison overcrowding.
Victim's Outrage
The victim, now 73, who asked not to be named, said: "I’ve been utterly failed by the justice system. This was a horrendous ordeal and I had to wait four years for it to come to court. To then see him released after just four months is unbelievable." She added: "No sentence could make up for the impact this has had on me and my family. But his early release feels like no justice at all. I’ve been completely let down and releasing offenders early serves as no deterrent to others."
The Fraud
Polson met the woman through church, where he was an organist, and began a relationship in 2013. After a brief marriage in 2018, the relationship resumed in 2021. He set up AA Lettings and persuaded her to invest in buying, renovating, and selling properties. Between May 2021 and March 2022, she handed over £188,000, believing they were building a property portfolio together. Instead, Polson secretly registered the properties in his own name and spent the money on personal expenses, including holidays and his mother-in-law's birthday party.
She provided £40,500 from her divorce settlement to buy out Polson’s former partner’s share of a property in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, and a further £146,000 towards a property in Bearsden, near Glasgow, believing she would own it outright. The fraud was uncovered in 2022, and Polson was convicted following a trial. He was also found guilty of embezzling £9,018 from Christian charity radio station Revival FM, which contributed to the station’s closure.
Sentence and Release
Glasgow Sheriff Court sentenced Polson to 22 months in prison. He was also made subject to a three-year non-harassment order, banned from acting as a company director for five years, and is understood to be subject to licence conditions. Despite the sentence, he was freed after four months under the Scottish Government's early release scheme.
Political Reactions
A Scottish Tory spokesperson said: "Victims deserve confidence that court sentences will be served. The SNP’s early release scheme risks undermining that confidence and leaving victims feeling justice has not been done." A Scottish Government spokesperson responded: "Eligible prisoners who pass a robust risk assessment by the Scottish Prison Service and justice social work may be able to serve the last part of their custodial sentence under home detention curfew, during which they are subject to licence conditions and a nightly curfew."
