A family vacation to Florida turned violent this week after a British man was arrested and charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to drown his daughter-in-law during a dispute in a private pool.
Mark Raymond Gibbon, 62, of Beaconsfield, England, is accused of assaulting his 33-year-old daughter-in-law while they were swimming at the Solterra Resort in Davenport, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to a 911 call Sunday evening reporting a disturbance in the backyard of a vacation rental.
Witnesses told authorities that an argument broke out between Gibbon and the victim while they were in the pool, reportedly over Gibbon’s grandchildren. What began as a verbal disagreement quickly escalated, with Gibbon allegedly pushing the woman underwater multiple times and preventing her from breathing. According to the sheriff’s office, the woman’s 9-year-old daughter leapt into the water to try to save her mother during the attack.
Gibbon reportedly stopped only when neighbors from an adjacent rental unit intervened, warning that they had called police.
He was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted second-degree murder and two counts of battery. The victim sustained minor injuries but did not require hospitalization.
The sheriff’s office did not release the name of the victim to protect her privacy. The identities of the witnesses who intervened have also been withheld, though officials credited their quick action with helping to stop the assault.
Gibbon’s alleged actions have sent shockwaves through both the local Florida community and the British media, as questions mount about how a family gathering could erupt into near-lethal violence. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd addressed the incident publicly, noting the county’s status as a tourist destination.
“Polk County draws visitors from all across the world,” Judd said in a statement. “But we expect vacationers to behave while they visit with us, just as we expect our lifelong residents to do the same.” He added that because Gibbon “couldn’t control his anger,” he may end up spending far more time in Florida than he originally planned.
Gibbon is currently being held in Polk County Jail. It is unclear whether he has retained legal counsel or when his first court appearance will take place.
While authorities continue to investigate the full circumstances of the incident, the case has already raised deeper questions about family dynamics, anger, and domestic violence—particularly in the context of multigenerational households and high-stress environments like travel.
For now, what was meant to be a summer getaway has turned into an ongoing legal nightmare with international implications.
