An inquest has opened into the tragic death of 23-year-old William Chapman, who was killed after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on October 10.
The hearing at Doncaster Coroners’ Court on Thursday revealed that Mr. Chapman, a former child actor, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was receiving care from Doncaster Mental Health Services. An officer told the court that while the victim was “highly functioning and independent,” his family has raised significant concerns regarding the nature of his contact with mental health services in the period leading up to his death.
A post-mortem examination, conducted by Dr. Karzai, recorded the provisional cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries resulting from “animal interaction.” A full report is expected ahead of the next hearing, which has been scheduled for March 18 of next year.
The coroner has ordered the collection of all available CCTV footage from the park and has requested inquiries into whether Mr. Chapman had visited the site previously. City of Doncaster Council has also launched an independent health and safety investigation into the incident, alongside an inquiry commissioned by the Rotherham South Yorkshire Trust into patient safety.
Mr. Chapman’s family, who have described him as a “bright, warm and engaging” young man, issued a statement expressing their devastation. They have also appealed for the public to stop sharing footage of the incident, noting that the circulation of the media—including a repost of the video by US President Donald Trump—has caused the family “severe distress.”
“The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time,” the family said. “The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their utmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did.”
Known for his previous work as a child actor in television projects such as ITV’s May Contain Nuts and the BBC’s True Stories, Mr. Chapman had attended the Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe. The school has since released a statement expressing its deep sadness, noting that they “loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer.”
Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 1:30 p.m. on October 10 after Mr. Chapman, who was visiting the park alone, entered the habitat. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Yorkshire Wildlife Park has confirmed that Altai, the Amur tiger involved in the incident, is safe and will not be euthanised. The coroner’s investigation remains ongoing.
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