Police in Florida considered a domestic abuse charge against the British man accused of trying to drown his daughter-in-law, while questions have been raised about the pair’s relationship status.
Mark Gibbon, 62, was charged with attempted murder after allegedly forcing Jasmine Wyld, 33, underwater at their holiday villa in the US state.
They were staying at the Solterra Resort in Davenport, near Walt Disney World, on Sunday where it is alleged that Gibbon got into an argument with Wyld over the “stipulations of his will”.
It is claimed that during the disagreement on Sunday, Mark repeatedly tried to push Wyld underwater in the swimming pool
Neighbours in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, said that Gibbon and Wyld were on holiday with her two children and no other family members.
Polk County sheriff’s office said a detective asked Gibbon and Wyld “about their relationship to determine if the incident would be classified as domestic violence”.
On Thursday The Times revealed that Gibbon’s son, Alex Gibbon, the father of Wyld’s children, had been jailed for hitting his father with an £80,000 Porsche Cayenne in May 2023. Alex Gibbon pleaded guilty in February last year to causing serious injury by dangerous driving as well as “harassment without violence” towards Wyld.
Wyld with her husband, Alex Gibbon, the son of Mark
He was sentenced at Aylesbury crown court to a total of 25 months’ imprisonment, 36 months’ disqualification from driving, a five-year restraining order and a surcharge. The court was told he had been subject to a community order at the time of the offences.
Mark Gibbon is under arrest in Florida
POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE/PA
It is claimed that during the disagreement on Sunday, Gibbon repeatedly tried to push Wyld underwater. This allegedly prompted his nine-year-old granddaughter to jump into the pool and try to save her mother. Police officers at Polk County sheriff’s office said witnesses claimed that Gibbon then pushed his granddaughter away.
The police said: “She [Wyld] advised that she could not breathe and believed that she was going to drown. [She] advised that she had to fight Mark in order to get away from him and from under the water but he kept pushing her back under.”
Gibbon allegedly only stopped when two onlookers told him they had called the sheriff’s office. He was taken into custody at about 5.20pm on Sunday. It is said that he admitted pushing Wyld underwater but denied trying to drown her.
Grady Judd, the Polk County sheriff, said: “It’s great that Polk County draws visitors from all across the world but we expect vacationers to behave while they visit with us, just as we expect our lifelong residents to do the same. Because Mr Gibbon couldn’t control his anger, he may find himself spending a lot more time in Florida than he had anticipated.”