The British man accused of trying to drown the daughter-in-law who he was in a relationship with has been freed by a court in the US after admitting battery.
The Daily Mail can reveal that Mark Gibbon, who had been charged with attempted murder, admitted to one count of battery and paid $1,308.68 costs.
Court documents filed in Florida state that he has been given his passport back and will serve no jail time.
The matter was resolved on November 7th, meaning that Gibbon, 62, a wealthy lighting engineer from Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, who has worked with Ed Sheeran, is likely already back in the UK.
The bizarre case dates back to August when Gibbon was reportedly in a relationship with Jasmine Wyld – the 33-year-old mother of his two grandchildren – when the pair became embroiled in a drunken row over his will in the pool at a luxury resort in Florida.
He allegedly pushed Ms Wyld’s head under water multiple times and gave her scratches and bruises at the Solterra Resort in Davenport before her nine-year-old daughter intervened, according to police reports.
Gibbon was originally charged with second degree attempted murder but it was downgraded to battery by strangulation.
The British man accused of trying to drown the daughter-in-law who he was in a relationship with has been freed by a court in the US after admitting battery. Jasmine Wyld (left), 33, had been in a relationship with her father in law Mark Gibbon (right), 62, when he allegedly tried to murder her on holiday by drowning her in a hotel swimming pool
The Daily Mail can reveal that Mark Gibbon (pictured), who had been charged with attempted murder, admitted to one count of battery and paid $1,308.68 costs
The bizarre case dates back to August when Gibbon was reportedly in a relationship with Jasmine Wyld (pictured) – the 33-year-old mother of his two grandchildren – when the pair became embroiled in a drunken row over his will in the pool at a luxury resort in Florida
He was released on $25,000 bail which was waived upon the resolution of the case.
According to the plea form, Gibbon admitted the single count of battery as part of a plea deal arranged with prosecutors.
The charge is a misdemeanor as opposed to a more serious felony of battery by strangulation which he had been charged with.
The documents state: ‘Passport to be released to defendant per court. Court directs (security) to release passport to defendant.’
The $1,308.68 of court costs is made up of $323 of standard criminal costs, $352 of criminal battery costs, $250 for the cost of prosecution and $383.68 for the cost of the investigation.
Had Gibbon’s original case continued he could have faced up to 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.Â
‘The victim’s nine-year-old daughter jumped into the pool in an attempt to stop Gibbon from drowning her mother.’
He allegedly pushed Ms Wyld’s head under water multiple times and gave her scratches and bruises at the Solterra Resort in Davenport before her nine-year-old daughter intervened, according to police reportsÂ
Ms Wyld (right) separated from Gibbon’s son Alex (left),with whom she shares two young children, in 2021. Alex is estranged from his father and was jailed for trying to run him over
Ms Wyld and Gibbon (pictured together) have been holidaying together at various exotic foreign locations since their respective relationships broke down
Grady Judd, the County Sheriff, said: ‘We expect vacationers to behave while they visit with us. Because Mr Gibbon couldn’t control his anger, he may find himself spending a lot more time in Florida than he had anticipated.’
But the case was thrown into doubt during a hearing days later when Ms Wyld begged prosecutors to free her partner, calling him ‘a good man’ who ‘adores his family’.
She said: ‘I have complete trust in him. He’s my best friend.’
Prosecutors told the Daily Mail that Ms Wyld, who would have been the key witness had the case gone to trial, wanted it dropped so Gibbon could be with her in the UK.
Officials from Polk County said that she reassured them that she ‘had no fear of him’, referring to Gibbon.
In a statement, prosecutors from Polk County said: ‘The defendant in this case was charged with battery for repeatedly dunking the victim’s head below water in a swimming pool during an argument.
‘The victim was consulted regarding the resolution of this case. The victim informed our office that she felt the defendant had been punished enough and she desired that he be allowed to return to England and have contact with her and her daughter.Â
‘She had no fear of him. The defendant completed and anger management course and was adjudicated guilty of battery.’
Ms Wyld’s (pictured) nine-year-old daughter reportedly bravely jumped into the pool to try and save her mother when she witnessed her grandfather trying to plunge her under the water
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
Asked about the situation at home in the UK, she said news of their relationship had been made public ‘to the entire world’ and so had come to the attention of the authorities in Britain.
She told the court: ‘Back here in England, what we call social services have contacted me and there will be involvement with the social services here in the UK.
‘I don’t know the rules as of yet as I’ve not met with the lady that’s going to come round and talk to me.
‘Obviously this case has hit England and it’s been made public knowledge to pretty much the entire world.’
Ms Wyld had been engaged to Gibbons’s son Alex, 34, but they split in 2021.
In February last year, Alex was sentenced to two years in prison after he drove a Porsche towards his father during an argument.
Sources have told the Daily Mail that Alex caught Ms Wyld in his father’s bed while they were still together, sparking a ‘massive row’.
As a result father and son no longer speak.
One source said ‘There have been a number of issues within the family.
‘He (Alex) 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.
‘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.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Gibbon’s US lawyer.
