An inquest into the death of William Chapman, who was mauled by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, will begin on Thursday, October 15. The 23-year-old former child actor died after the attack on Saturday.
Incident details
Chapman is believed to have jumped into the tiger enclosure at the zoo as onlookers urged him to "play dead". The Amur tiger, named Altai, attacked him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Footage filmed by Chapman showed him approaching the tiger and breathing heavily in the moments before the mauling.
Family statement
His family said he suffered from "significant mental illness over a number of years". In a statement, they said: "The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened."
Inquest process
The inquest will take the form of a procedural public hearing where the coroner formally opens the investigation into the death. The hearing will almost immediately be adjourned to a later date to allow time for full police reports, post-mortem results, and further evidence to be gathered.
