A British man accused of trying to drown a 33-year-old woman at a Florida resort was released from a county jail on Friday after a judge set bail and imposed electronic monitoring and passport surrender conditions.
Mark Gibbon, 62, was freed on $26,000 bail after a hearing in Polk County, according to court records and police reports. The charge he initially faced — second-degree attempted murder — was reduced at the hearing to battery by strangulation, the records show.
Police allege the incident occurred last month at the Solterra Resort in Davenport during a confrontation described as a drunken dispute over Gibbon’s will. Authorities said the victim, identified in reports as Jasmine Wyld, 33, was pushed under the water multiple times and sustained scratches and bruises before her nine-year-old daughter intervened. Wyld is described in court documents as the mother of two of Gibbon’s grandchildren and as having been in a relationship with him.
Court records obtained by The Mail on Sunday, cited by local reporting, describe Gibbon as a lighting engineer from Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, who has worked on high-profile projects. He is a British citizen who surrendered his United Kingdom passport as a condition of release. The judge also ordered that he be fitted with an electronic tracking device.
The charge of battery by strangulation is a felony in Florida; prosecutors in the case will determine whether to pursue the downgraded charge or seek further action. Records show Gibbon met the terms of the bail, and he remains subject to conditions set by the court pending further proceedings.
Police reports and court filings are the primary sources for details of the alleged assault. Authorities have not announced additional court dates publicly. Representatives for Gibbon and for the woman named in the reports did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The case is under investigation by local law enforcement, and it will continue to move through the Polk County justice system. Any subsequent filings or hearings are expected to be recorded in the county court docket.