English Tourist Allegedly Tried To Drown Daughter-In-Law At Florida Resort As Granddaughter Tried To Stop Him

A tourist visiting Florida from England is facing charges including attempted murder for allegedly trying to drown his daughter-in-law in front of his granddaughter, authorities said.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded the Solterra Resort on Pine Tree Trail in Davenport, southwest of Orlando, at around 5:19 p.m. on Sunday for a report of a “disturbance” in a backyard swimming pool. The victim and witnesses told deputies that 62-year old Mark Raymond Gibbon of Beaconsfield, England, tried to drown his 33-year-old daughter-in-law after an argument.

According to the victim, she and Gibbon were in the backyard swimming pool of the vacation rental home when they began arguing about his grandchildren. Gibbon then allegedly pushed her head underwater, holding it there, multiple times.

The victim’s 9-year-old daughter, Gibbon’s granddaughter, “jumped into the pool in an attempt to stop Gibbon from drowning her mother,” the sheriff’s office said.

Despite the young girl’s intervention, Gibbon allegedly only stopped his attack when a pair of Ohio sisters vacationing next door said they were calling the sheriff’s office.

Gibbon was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of attempted second-degree murder and two counts of battery.

“Its 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,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. “Because Mr. Gibbon couldnt control his anger, he may find himself spending a lot more time in Florida than he had anticipated.”