A British woman whose father-in-law allegedly tried to drown her in a swimming pool has pleaded with a judge to release him after he was denied bail.
Mark Gibbon, 62, is currently in jail in the US after he was charged with the attempted murder of Jasmine Wyld – his son, Alex’s former partner.
The Daily Mail previously revealed that Mark, who allegedly held Ms Wyld’s head under water while in Florida during an argument over his will, was in a romantic relationship with her.
Ms Wyld, a hairdresser, told police that she ‘could not breathe and feared she would drown’ during the alleged incident, according to the arrest affidavit.
However, she has now testified to a court in Bartow, Florida, that she has always ‘felt safe’ around Gibbon and that she ‘is not afraid of him’.
Appearing via a video link from England, Ms Wyld said according to The Times: ‘This has come as a bit of a shock to me.
‘I can only sing his praises for what a fantastic grandfather he is.’
Ms Wyld also spoke in favour of a motion submitted by Gibbon’s lawyer calling for his release from custody, subject to a ‘no-violence’ order by the court.
Jasmine Wyld is seen at home in the UK on Friday after returning from the family holiday that ended in her father-in-law’s arrest
Mark Gibbon, 62, is currently in jail in the US after he was charged with the attempted murder of Jasmine Wyld – his son, Alex’s former partner
Gibbon has been charged with two counts of battery and one of attempted second-degree murder in Florida
However, Judge Jalal Harb denied the request and said that Ms Wyld’s testimony contradicts the sworn statement she gave on the day of the alleged drowning.
‘Quite frankly, her testimony is of great concern to this court,’ the judge added.
Gibbon was taken into custody in Florida on August 3 after he reportedly pushed Ms Wyld under the water in a swimming pool.
The 33-year-old was left with a scratch on her chest and fearing for her life following the alleged incident on their luxury holiday.
Gibbon, who has split from his wife, now lives alone in a £800,000 semi-detached home in Beaconsfield.
Meanwhile Ms Wyld separated from Gibbon’s son Alex, with whom she shares two young children, in 2021.
A family source told us that Alex and his father no longer speak – and last year Alex was jailed for trying to drive a car at his estranged father.
It is understood he hit Mark when he stood in front of the car while he was trying to drive away in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.
Alex pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and harassment without violence.
Jasmine, pictured with ex-husband (and Mark Gibbon’s son) Alex and one of their two children
Mark Gibbon has split from his wife and now lives alone in a £800,000 semi-detached home in Beaconsfield
Ms Wyld, 33, is the daughter-in-law Gibbon allegedly tried to kill in a row over his will. She was reportedly upset that despite being in a relationship with him, she was not named in his will
He was sentenced in February 2024 to two years’ in prison, given a three-year driving ban and a five-year restraining order.
A family source told the Daily Mail: ‘There was a big argument between Alex and his father in the street.
‘Alex had had enough and got into his car to try and drive away but Mark got in front of the vehicle to stop him from leaving.
‘Alex shouted to him to “get out the way” but Mark continued to obstruct him and was hit by the car as a result.’
The source continued: ‘Mark and Jasmine have been seeing each other for a few years, but they’ve never admitted it.
‘Alex and his dad don’t speak at all. There have been a number of issues within the family.
‘He feels an awful betrayal at how his dad has struck up a relationship with the mother of his two children.
‘Mark and Jasmine do an awful lot together and they go away on holiday with the children a couple of times every year.
‘She is always round at his house. She has a place of her own but she’s nearly always in Beaconsfield with Mark.
Ms Wyld is a hairdresser from Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire and has reportedly been seen staying at her father-in-law Gibbon’s £800,000 property in recent months, angering the family
Ms Wyld and Gibbon have been holidaying together at various exotic foreign locations since their respective relationships broke down
‘They went to Florida two years ago and have been to Budapest where she posted pictures of them together like a couple.
‘I don’t know for sure what happened on this holiday and why Mark has apparently tried to drown her.
‘But I have been told that Jasmine was unhappy that they have been in a relationship for a few years and she is not named in his will.’
Gibbon runs a successful lighting firm called MRG Lighting has working on television and film sets, as well as on music videos for Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Paloma Faith.
Set up in 2023, MRG Lighting Limited had reserves of £122,600 in its first year of trading.
But another of his businesses Ultralight UK Limited has seen its fortunes slide recently.
Two years ago it had cash reserves of £577,618,. But by March last year it was £152,060 in the red.
Mark also runs a fledgling hair salon called Sage Hairdressing Limited, set up in July 2024.
The source added: ‘Mark is worth about £800,000 and he is leaving everything to his grandchildren.
‘He’s a successful businessman, who runs his own company and owns his own home. His will has caused some tension in the family.’
Ms Wyld has praised her father-in-law Gibbon fun loving nature previously on social media
Gibbon was on a luxury holiday with his family at the Solterra Resort in Davenport (pictured) when he got into an argument about his will, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Alex, 34, had worked with his father and was appointed a director with Ultralight UK Limited in 2019.
He was involved in the production of The Queen’s Christmas Day speech a few years ago.
However, he left the company in 2023 and is said to have had a blazing row with his father in the street afterwards, leading to him running his father over with the car.
Alex’s father regularly holidays with Ms Wyld and his two grandchildren.
The pair travelled together with the children – but no other relatives – to Florida together in 2023 and visited Budapest in Hungary in December the same year.
Ms Wyld – who has since returned back home from the U.S – has posted several photographs of her with her father-in-law on trips abroad.
He has also posted images of them all together including a treasured snap of the family visiting a pumpkin patch before Halloween last year.
According to Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, Mr Gibbon had shoved Ms Wyld’s head under the water of the pool following a row last Sunday and pushed his granddaughter away when she jumped in to stop him.
He allegedly only stopped the attempted drowning when two neighbouring sisters saw what was happening and shouted over that they had called the Sheriff’s Office.
He was taken into custody around 5.19pm on August 3 and is understood to have told police he had been drinking and admitted to pushing his daughter-in-law under the water but denied trying to drown her.
The police report revealed that Ms Wyld ‘advised that she could not breathe and believed that she was going to drown. The victim 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.’
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd 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.’
Mr Gibbon has been charged with attempted second-degree murder and battery. He is next due in court on September 9.
