Law&Crime Sidebar - Man Vacationing in Florida Tried to Drown Daughter-in-Law, Lover in Pool: Police

Episode Date: August 12, 2025

Mark Gibbon, 62, was arrested by Polk County deputies during a vacation to Florida from the United Kingdom. Gibbon is accused of trying to kill his former daughter-in-law, Jasmine Wyld, by holding her head underwater in a backyard pool. Wyld’s nine-year-old daughter reportedly jumped in to save her. Despite that, Wyld appeared at a bond hearing for Gibbon, supporting his release. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber discusses details of the bizarre case with international law attorney David Tafuri.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Grow your own audience today – go to https://www.opus.pro/sidebar for 1 week free plus 50% off the 3 months of Opus Pro. HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Obviously, I've been through a lot mentally with what's going on, and I think I'm still in a state of shock. Wild new allegations we've got to talk about. A man allegedly tries to drown his ex-daughter-in-law in a Florida pool, and her nine-year-old daughter apparently has to jump in and try to save her. And what was already a crazy story has now taken.

a wild turn. The family secrets were exposed. We are taking a look at the possible motives behind this alleged attack and how the suspect's UK citizenship could affect the case with international attorney David to furry. Welcome to Sidebar. Presented by Law and Crime, I'm Jesse Weber. What was supposed to be a day for relaxation at a Florida resort was broken on Sunday, August 3rd. When 62-year-old Mark Gibbon allegedly tried to drown 33-year-old Jasmine Wild. And Wilde says her own nine-year-old daughter witnessed Gibbon, forcing her head under the water at the resort at the resort in Davenport, Florida, which is not very far from Walt Disney World.

Wild, her daughter, and Gibbon, they were on vacation from the United Kingdom when tempers allegedly flared. And since Gibbon's arrest, more disturbing details are apparently coming out about the family and this reported propensity for violence. So we're going to take a closer look at the affidavit that was filed with Polk County, Florida, the court there in connection with Gibbon's arrest. But to do that, I'm not going to do it alone. I want to bring on David to furry. David's an attorney who specializes in international law.

So when you're dealing with subjects from another location, here, there's a lot of different complicating factors here. So, David, good to see you. Before we dive in, getting arrested while you're on vacation, it happens. It's never a good thing, but it happens. how much does it complicate things that Gibbon is from another country? Well, it certainly complicates things for him because, of course, he's in a, he's in a legal system. He's probably not at all familiar with. He probably doesn't have access to the kind of network of people that he would rely upon

to help him, including to help him get the right attorney, the best attorney for him, for his defense. So he probably feels like a fish out. out of water. Now, it does help that he doesn't have a language barrier. Obviously, he's from the UK. They speak the same language. And so that's much better than it could be if he were from a country and he didn't speak English. It's also going to complicate things for him if he wants to return home. And because he needs to get bail, even if he gets bail, they probably are going to take his passport and prohibit him from international travel. Okay, so let's get

into this. So according to Polk County Sheriff's deputies, everything happened at this rental home in the resort community in the backyard pool. And the affidavit reads, quote, Jasmine stated that during the argument, Mark pushed her under the water and held her down multiple times. She advised that she cannot breathe and believe that she was going to drown.

Jasmine 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. Jasmine stated that her daughter, redacted, witnessed the incident and jumped into the pool to attempt to get her grandfather off of Jasmine.

Jasmine advised that Mark then pushed redacted away from them, then pushed her back under the water again several more times. Jasmine stated that she saw the neighbors outside and yelled for them to call the police when she was able to come up for air. She advised that Mark used two hands on the top of her to push her down under the water. She advised that this was all done against her will. Now, two witnesses were in the backyard pool of the home next door at the same time, confirmed they also saw Gibbon tried a whole wild underwater. This is now a very different. kind of case, David.

Absolutely agree. I mean, if you made a movie about this family, it would not be a Disney movie. It's just the wildest situation to imagine what unfolded in the backyard. You have to feel for the kids who didn't do anything wrong and are caught up in a very difficult situation. The nine-year-old daughter apparently helped save her mother from potentially being drowned by her grandfather. And so it makes sense that the authorities in Florida have taken this very much. and forward to have taken this very seriously. Yeah, ledge witnesses. That's what changes this so much.

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Go to opus.pro slash Sidebar to start creating your own videos today. So when it comes to the injuries, the deputy who wrote up the affidavit states, I observed a scratch mark on left collarbone area of Jasmine. No injuries were observed on redacted, meaning the nine-year-old. The report also notes that deputies didn't see any injuries on Gibbon, which would be significant if you're talking about a self-defense kind of case or something like that. But David, if the majority of a case is built on eyewitness testimony, now you have these physical injuries to help corroborate it.

It paints Gibbon in a very isolated corner, particularly if he doesn't have injuries. I agree. And also, it's not just the eyewitness testimony. Obviously, it's Jasmine's original testimony. Apparently, she's now changed it. And in the bail hearing, she did not say some of the things she said in her sworn statement immediately after the incident. But that sworn statement can still be used as evidence. So you basically have three people who could basically explain what happened and justify these charges. And I'm not even talking about the case. kids and whether the kids themselves gave statements and whether the kids could be used as witnesses. Obviously, police are going to want to be careful about that. Now, deputies, they spoke with Gibbon, reading him the Miranda warning before asking him what happened. And according to the affidavit, he waived his rights. Quote, post Miranda, he stated that he and Jasmine were drinking and a verbal argument started over the stipulations of his will. He advised that she made him

upset and he pushed her. She then slapped him on the left side of his face. He became angry and pushed her under the water a few times. He could not recall how many. He advised that he did not want to drown her. He advised that redacted tried to get in between them and he pushed her away. He advised that he may have scratched Jasmine because he had not cut his nails but did not do so intentionally. Hmm. Gibbon, he was arrested. He was charged with one count of attempted second degree murder, two counts of battery by touching or striking. He's been locked up in the Polk County Jail since David. Wilde and her daughter are now back in the UK. If they are called upon to provide some sort of statement, to give evidence, to testify, police have more

questions. How does that work? Well, first of all, he made a number of admissions that are going to be very damaging to his defense. And like you said, he waived the right to have an attorney. He waived his right to remain silent. And that may ultimately really hurt him because it's going to be hard for him to create a defense when he made those admissions. It sounds like Jasmine may not be testifying against him from the latest reporting, which suggests that she did not repeat some of the things she said in her first sworn statement. So I think the police would want her to be in witness.

They would encourage her to tell the truth, but it doesn't sound like she's cooperating with the police and the prosecutorial authorities right now. With respect to the daughter, we don't know what she might say or whether she wants to be a witness and whether the prosecutors want to put her through that. Obviously, there's a big downside to putting such a young child through being a testifying witness against her own grandfather, someone who was also a caretaker for her. Now, a pretrial detention hearing was held Monday, August 11th to determine whether Gibbon should get bond and whether if he did, he would be allowed to go back to the UK.

There's concern that he could be a flight risk, not just because he's from another country, but also because he's wealthy. So Gibbon, who owns his own professional lighting company, is from the town of Beaconsville. This is in Buckinghamshire, England. And according to UK outlet, the Evening Standard, Gibbon was divorced from his wife and Wilde separated from Gibbon's son Alex in 2021, while reportedly shared two children with Alex, although it appears only one is mentioned in the police report. And according to reporting from multiple outlets, including the Daily Mail, the Sun, the Evening Standard, law enforcement is looking into whether Gibbon and Wild were in a relationship.

Anonymous sources have claimed that the two had been lovers for years, and in fact, Alex reportedly found Wilde in bed with his dad, which led to be a lot of bad blood between father and son. Now, according to one anonymous source who spoke with the standard, Jasmine was unhappy that they had been in a relationship all this time, but she still wasn't named in his will. And the only mention of Gibbon and Wilde's relationship in the affidavit is this, quote, Jasmine advised that neither she nor her children have ever resided with Mark as a family unit but are currently sharing a home. while on vacation. And in yet another twist, it seems that this isn't the first time a member of the Gibbon clan has allegedly caused harm to a family member. According to the Sunday Times in the UK, Alex Gibbon pleaded guilty last year to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and harassment without violence. The Daily Mail reports that in 2023, Alex hit his father with his 80,000 pound Porsche. Apparently, they were involved in a heated argument on the

street when Alex tried to drive away. Gibbon stood in front of the car. Alex hit him. The Sunday time says Alex was sentenced to 25 months imprisonment, so just over two years, plus three years of driving disqualification, a five-year restraining order. Now, someone who the son refers to as a family source said that given and his son no longer speak. That source reportedly said he feels an awful betrayal and how his dad has struck up a relationship with the mother of his two children. By the way, David, how much collaboration will there be between law enforcement in the UK and the U.S. when it comes to trying to get a full picture here? Well, I'm sure the UK law enforcement is going to support the U.S. in their prosecution.

Obviously, the U.K. has a lot of interest here. The victim, Yasmin, is from the U.K., so they have an obligation to try to protect her, try to bring justice. This man, Mark Gibbon, may ultimately return to the U.K., and so they want to make sure that he is appropriately punished, and justice is done. They also want to look out for the daughter and make sure the daughter is not in jeopardy in the future. Now, Gibman appeared in court on Monday, August 11th for a pretrial bond hearing. Jasmine actually spoke in support of Gibman, despite the fact that he allegedly tried to kill her. Obviously, I've been through a lot mentally with what's going on. And I think I'm still in a state of shock because I look upon Mark as a very trusting character, as a good man.

He addues his family. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him. and I can't speak of the events that took place that day I guess only Mark can but all I can say and I can really implement is what a wonderful grandfather he was to the children and he was my best friend and I had complete trust in him

and like to illustrate that I have never been fearful of him and there's never been any scenarios prior to this of any concern so yeah that's all I would really like to say on the Obviously, back here in England, our social, 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 around and talk to me. Obviously, this case has hit England and it's been made public knowledge to pretty much the entire world this case. So I can't speak on the behalf of what the conditions will be back here in England because the social services obviously have their duties of care.

So unfortunately, I can't really speak solely on that. However, as I, as I've said, I've never felt fearful of Mark prior to this or felt unsafe. And he's been great with the grandchildren. And according to Gibbon's attorney, he has also wanted to return to the UK, but understood that may not be possible. Judge, the only thing I would be doing is asking my client to tell you where he would be living. If he was released, he was going to be asking that he could go to England, but I told him I did not tell him that he would be allowed to go to England or the United Kingdom. But as this matter goes, Judge, that's what he's wanting. However, I'm sure the court may make him stay in Polk County, and I'm sure that they would make arrangements to do that.

Now, the prosecution told the judge that they wanted given held without bail because they couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't flee or do more harm to the. community or his family. While the victim was not opposed to contact, the state at this time would be requesting no contact. And speaking with the victim, it sounds like family members of the defendant may have been reached out to her. So to make sure that there's no more contact, plus, as she had indicated, unfortunately, this case is getting attention overseas, which is causing news media to put added attention. Mr. Berkov, that is of no consequence to this court. So whether this case is getting attention or not getting attention,

the safety of the community, the defendant's rights is what I have to consider. So, but if you think it's relevant, I'll consider it. Just that I think because there's attention happening overseas, where the victim is back at, and the family may be back there as well, That's why I think no contact at this time may be most appropriate. And the judge ruled that Gibbon should remain locked up in Polk County. He is also admonished Jasmine, who was still on the virtual hearing about her allegedly contradictory statements and actions.

Having reviewed the matters that were previously visited by the court to include the motion for trial detention, having considered the testimony by defective Godwin, having considered the testimony of Ms. Walves. Quite frankly, her testimony is a great concern to this court. Her testimony to this court is not near consistent to what she reported to the Sheriff's Office. The testimony that was provided by her young daughter impeach and contradicts her testimony to this court. The testimony as outlined in the state's motion and in affidavit supports and quarry the statements gave by Ms. Wilde, the statement gave by Ms. Wilde's daughter in this case.

The court concludes that the substantial probability that the defendant committed the crime charged. The factual circumstances of the crime involving an adult victim and a juvenile victim create a concern to this court as to the safety of the community and the people involved in this case. case. He placed the according to the description of the affidavit and reported information Ms. Wilde under physical harm, risk of harm, I should say. She testified or presented information to law enforcement that she thought she was drowning. The witnesses next door thought she was drowning. So giving his lack of ties to this community, lack of ties to this jurisdiction, I will find that it's appropriate for Mr. Gibbon to be held in custody with no bond at this

point. David, real quick, your reaction to that? Well, I think the judge is making a determination that he cannot be trusted to remain in the United States. He's a flight. risk. He's from another country. Even if his passport is taken away, he could try to find a way to get out of the United States. He's in Florida. It's always possible. You could take a sailboat or a boat, try to go to a Caribbean island, try to go to a British overseas territory, of which there are several in the Caribbean. Those are just some potential ways he could try to flee the jurisdiction. And I think that's why they held him. If he were an American, they might have been more likely to let him free on bail. Now, in a statement following, Gibbons,

arrest. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who we're all very familiar with, had this to say. It is great that Pope 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 anticipated. Gibbon is scheduled for arraignment in Florida on September 9th, and at the end of his pretrial detention hearing, Gibbon, who didn't appear on camera, by the way, can be heard asking the judge if there's any way that could happen soon. sooner. And the judge tells him to contact his lawyer about that. David Tafuri, thank you so much for taking the time. Good to see you. Thanks, Jesse. And that is all we have for you right now here on Sidebar, everybody. Thank you so much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you should get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time. of this long crime series ad free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.