Mark Gibbon was alleged to have held Jasmine Wyld’s head under the water in a drunken row before her daughter intervened. The case took a twist when Ms Wyld begged prosecutors to free him
A British grandad accused of trying to drown his daughter-in-law turned girlfriend has reportedly been freed by a US court. Mark Gibbon, 62, had been charged with the attempted murder of Jasmine Wyld, who is the mother of his grandchildren after previously being in a relationship with his son Alex.
Gibbon admitted to the lesser charge of battery, paid court costs of $1,308.68, and was given his passport back, reports the Daily Mail, with US court documents stating he would not serve time in jail.
The court heard that Gibbon and Ms Wyld, who were reportedly in a relationship together, became embroiled in a drunken row by the pool while holidaying at a luxury resort in Florida back in August. Gibbon was alleged to have pushed Ms Wyld’s head under the water multiple times, preventing her from breathing, and given her scratches and bruises before her nine-year-old daughter tried to stop him, according to police reports.
The row resulted in neighbouring holidaymakers calling the police and Gibbon being arrested. He was originally charged with second degree attempted murder but the charge was downgraded to battery by strangulation. Gibbon admitted the single count of battery on November 7 as part of a plea deal arranged with prosecutors.
Gibbon, from Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, is a lighting engineer who has worked with numerous pop stars including Ed Sheeran. Had the original charge against him stood, he could have faced 15 years in jail.
At the time the Polk County Sheriff’s office said in a statement: “Gibbon is accused of pushing and holding the victim’s head underwater multiple times, preventing her from breathing.
“The victim’s nine-year-old daughter jumped into the pool in an attempt to stop Gibbon from drowning her mother.”
The case took a twist when Ms Wyld begged prosecutors in Florida to free Gibbon, telling them he was a “good man” who “adores his family”.
She said: “I have complete trust in him. He’s my best friend.”
Ms Wyld had been engaged to Gibbon’s 34-year-old son Alex, with whom she has two children, before the couple split in 2021. In February 2024, Alex was handed a two-year prison sentence in Britain after he drove a Porsche towards his dad during an argument.
Grady Judd, the 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.”
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