A mother-of-two who is in a relationship with her father-in-law is seen pleading for his release after he was arrested on suspicion of trying to drown her in a swimming pool on holiday in Florida.
Hairdresser Jasmine Wyld, 33, begged prosecutors in the states to free her partner Mark Gibbon, which is revealed in newly released court footage.
Gibbon, 62, a wealthy businessman, is currently in jail in America, charged with the attempted murder of Jasmine, who was previously engaged to his son, with whom she has two children.
Appearing on video link from her home in Buckinghamshire, Ms Wyld hailed Gibbon ‘a good man’ and someone who ‘adores his family’ as she denied ever being frightened of him.
She also told the court that social services in Britain had been in touch and were due to speak to her about reports of her romance with Mr Gibbon, who is grandfather to her nine-year-old daughter and six-year-old son.
Ms Wyld had been engaged to his son, Alex, 34, but the couple split in 2021.
The Daily Mail revealed last week how she and her father-in-law got together two years ago and virtually lived together at his four-bedroom home in Beaconsfield.
They flew to Florida with the children earlier this month and were staying in a resort near Disney World when a drunken row over the stipulations of his will turned to violence.
Jasmine Wyld was seen at home in the UK on Friday after returning from the family holiday that ended in her father-in-law’s arrest
Ms Wyld also told the court that social services in Britain had been in touch and were due to speak to her about reports of her romance with Mr Gibbon
Mark Gibbon, 62, right, 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
Mr Gibbon is accused of holding Ms Wyld’s head under the water of their holiday villa’s swimming pool several times forcing his granddaughter to jump in to try and help her mother.
Quizzed by state prosecutor, Michael Berkowitz, on whether her opinion of him had changed since he allegedly tried to kill her’ Ms Wyld said: ‘Obviously I’ve been through a lot, mentally, with what’s going on and I’m still in a state of shock because I look upon Mark as a very trusting character, as a good man.
‘He adores 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 is what a wonderful grandfather he was to the grandchildren and he was my best friend. I had complete trust in him.’
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.
Appearing on video link from her home in Buckinghamshire, Ms Wyld hailed Gibbon ‘a good man’ and someone who ‘adores his family’ as she denied ever being frightened of him
Jasmine, pictured with ex-husband (and Mark Gibbon’s son) Alex and one of their two children
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
‘I can’t speak on behalf of what the conditions will be like here back in England because the social services have their duties of care so unfortunately I can’t speak solely on that.
‘However, 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. ‘
The court appearance took place on Monday in Bartow, Florida.
But despite Ms Wyld’s pleas, Judge Jalal Harb denied the request for bail and remanded Mr Gibbon in custody at the Polk County Jail.
He expressed dismay that Ms Wyld’s video evidence contradicts the official statement she had given to police when they were called to the Solterra Resort in Davenport near Orlando on August 3.
In a sworn affidavit Ms Wyld had told officers she ‘could not breathe and feared she would drown.’
Judge Jalal Harb said: ‘Quite frankly, her testimony is of great concern to this court.
‘Her testimony to this court is not nearly consistent with what she reported to The Sheriff’s Office. The testimony that was provided by her young daughter contradicts her testimony to this court.’
Jasmine Wyld, 33, begged prosecutors in the states to free her partner Mark Gibbon, which is revealed in newly released court footage
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
Mr Gibbon is divorced from his wife and no longer speaks to his son Alex, who previously lived with Ms Wyld and their children in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire.
A source close to Alex revealed last week how he caught Jasmine in his father’s bed four years ago while they were still together.
The friend said: ‘Alex had been working away and came back to his family home one weekend to find the place empty.
‘He couldn’t reach Jasmine by phone but even back then he had his suspicions about her and his dad. So he drove from the family home in Bourne End to Beaconsfield where his dad lived and found her car parked outside.
‘Alex had keys to his dad’s house because he used to live there too and, as he went in, he saw Mark standing in the kitchen.
‘He asked him, ‘Where is she?’ and, with a smirk on his face, [Mark] replied: ‘Why don’t you go and find her?’
‘Alex went up the stairs and found Jasmine in his father’s bed. They had a massive row. Jasmine said she had gone on a night out with friends the previous evening and dropped the kids around at Mark’s to babysit.
‘She decided to head to Mark’s after, rather than go home, but during the evening she wandered into the wrong room by mistake.
Mark Gibbon has split from his wife and now lives alone in a £800,000 semi-detached home in Beaconsfield
Ms Wyld and Gibbon have been holidaying together at various exotic foreign locations since their respective relationships broke down
‘Alex had a fight with his dad over it and the police were called.’
An even bigger argument erupted between father and son a year or so later when Alex hit his father with his £80,000 Porsche Cayenne and ended up being jailed.
He was sentenced in February 2024 to two years in prison and given a three-year driving ban as well as a five-year restraining order.
The source explained: ‘There was a big argument between Alex and his father in the street. Alex had had enough and got into his car to try to drive away but Mark got in front of the car to stop him from leaving.
‘Alex shouted to him to get out of the way but Mark continued to obstruct him and was hit by the car as a result.’
After leaving the family home she shared with Alex – which was sold for £550,000 last year – Ms Wyld briefly rented a flat in Burnham in Buckinghamshire before moving into a rented cottage nearby, where she was photographed last week and from where she gave her video testimony to court.
Despite having her own place, she is said to have spent large amounts of time at Mr Gibbon’s home, where she based herself as a mobile hairdresser.
Ms Wyld has praised her father-in-law Gibbon fun loving nature previously on social media
Mr Gibbon is a lighting technician who runs his own company called MRG Lighting.
He has previously worked on television and film sets, as well as on music videos for Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Paloma Faith.
But he is also listed as a director of Sage Hairdressing, which was set up in July last year.
Details of what caused the row which preceded the alleged attempted drowning are scarce, though it is believed it was related to the fact that Mr Gibbon has left his £800,000 fortune to his grandchildren and has not listed Ms Wyld as a beneficiary.
He is charged with attempted second-degree murder and two counts of battery and will appear in court next on September 9.
