A 62-year-old British man, Mark Raymond Gibbon, has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to drown his daughter-in-law in a swimming pool in Florida, according to The Times. The incident occurred at the Solterra Resort in Davenport, where Gibbon was vacationing with his family. Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office responded to a reported disturbance at the resort's pool on Sunday evening.
According to the news portal, Gibbon and his 33-year-old daughter-in-law began arguing about his grandchildren before the alleged attack took place. Gibbon is a resident of Beaconsfield, England.
She told investigators later that she "could not breathe and feared she would drown", according to an affidavit from Polk County Sheriff's Office.
However, appearing via a video link from England, she told a hearing before the tenth judicial circuit court in Bartow, Florida, "I've always felt very safe around Mark, and him being around my two children ... I'm not afraid of him."
Describing him as her "best friend", she added: "This has come as a bit of a shock to me ... I can only sing his praises for what a fantastic grandfather he is."
English vacationer arrested for attempted murder in Davenport
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) August 4, 2025
An argument about grandchildren ended with a vacationer from the United Kingdom getting arrested and charged with attempted murder.
“It's great that Polk County draws visitors from all across the world, but we expect… pic.twitter.com/xKCqKGn36e
Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement, "It's great that Polk 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 had anticipated."
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