FRIENDS of a British grandad accused of trying to drown his daughter-in-law have told of their shock at his attempted murder charge.
Neighbours revealed how Mark Gibbon, 62, would “often” have his alleged victim Jasmine Wyld – who locals described as his “girlfriend” – “staying with him”.
Divorced Gibbon was arrested last week after allegedly forcing Wyld’s head under the water in a pool at a Florida resort during a spat about his will.
Lighting technician Gibbon, who has worked with pop stars like Ed Sheeran and once helped make the late Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas TV broadcast, is rumoured to have been dating Wyld – his son’s ex.
Both Gibbon and Wyld, 33, denied to police that they were romantically involved with each other.
But neighbours of Gibbon’s £800,000 semi-detached home in the posh Buckinghamshire market town of Beaconsfield openly referred to Wyld as Gibbon’s girlfriend.
They also expressed their horror at the arrest of the grandad -who they said “kept himself to himself” – over the alleged attempted murder of Wyld.
One neighbour said: “Everybody is shocked by this.”
A woman living next door refused to give her name but said she was good friends with the mum-of-two.
She told The Sun: “I’d never have imagined this might happen.
“Jasmine used to stay here a lot with the children. But I don’t want to say much more because she is a friend of mine.”
Gibbon’s large brick-built semi-detached house was empty today with two vans and silver Skoda car parked outside.
There was a statue of Buddha by the front door, along with two stickers saying “Smile you’re on camera”. Net curtains covered the windows.
John Atkinson, 81, who lives across the road, said he was shocked at the situation.
He said: “It’s very difficult to countenance that Mark was trying to kill Jasmine.
“Jasmine was often staying with him along with his grandchildren.
“She always struck me as quite a cheerful character.”
It comes after a rift between Gibbon and his son Alex – Wyld’s ex-husband – emerged.
Hairdresser Wyld separated from Alex, who she shares two children with, in 2021.
Just two years after they separated, Alex, 34, was jailed for trying to run over his dad in a £80,000 Porsche Cayenne in Beaconsfield.
As well as assaulting his father, Alex also pleaded guilty to harassing ex-wife Wyld.
Alex was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court to 25 months in jail, a 36-month disqualification from driving, a five-year restraining order, plus a surcharge.
The dad was released from jail around six months ago and went to move in with his mum, who had divorced Gibbon some years earlier.
Alex and his father also became embroiled in a public row in 2023 after Alex left his dad’s business for an unknown reason.
It is understood the pair no longer speak.
Gibbon is being held in Polk County Jail – and both he and Wyld denied to cops that they were in a relationship.
A detective asked Gibbon and mum-of-two Wyld “about their relationship to determine if the incident would be classified as domestic violence”.
Gibbon is due in court next week over the attempted murder charge levelled against him, and another hearing is set for September for his arraignment on two battery charges.
He and Wyld were on holiday at the Solterra Resort in Devenport , near Disney World , Florida with Wyld’s two children – Gibbon’s grandkids – when the row over his will erupted, police say.
The pair were arguing when Gibbon allegedly push Wyld’s head “under the water and held her down multiple times”.
She claimed she “could not breathe” and “believed she was going to drown”.
Police say Wyld was forced to “fight Mark in order to get away from him and from under the water but he kept pushing her back under”.
Her nine-year-old daughter then leapt to her mother’s defence but was pushed away by Gibbon, it is claimed.
Gibbon is alleged to have stopped when two women dialled 911.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said after his arrest: “Because Mr Gibbon couldn’t control his anger, he may find himself spending a lot more time in Florida than he had anticipated.”
When questioned, Gibbon is claimed to have admitted to pushing Jasmine underwater, but insisted he hadn’t been trying to drown her.
The case is now being handled by the prosecutor’s office.
