William Chapman, the 24-year-old who died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, had suffered from bouts of psychosis before his death, an inquest has heard.
Mr Chapman died on Saturday after entering the tiger's enclosure at the park. An inquest into his death opened on Thursday at Doncaster Coroner's Court, where it was heard that he had a history of mental illness, a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had experienced psychosis.
Family concerns and mental health history
Coroner's officer Caitlin Brookes said Mr Chapman's family had expressed “a number of concerns” in relation to his contact with mental health services. The inquest heard he was under adult mental health services in Doncaster but was “highly functioning and independent with no care requirements.”
Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation trust has started an investigation following Mr Chapman's death, Ms Brookes said. The inquest heard Mr Chapman was a self-employed online trader living in Doncaster at the time of his death.
Incident details and investigation
The former child actor was mauled to death by an Amur tiger at the animal park. An initial post-mortem examination found he had died from multiple traumatic injuries after his encounter with the big cat.
The inquest heard he attended Yorkshire Wildlife Park on October 10, and at about 1.30pm, climbed over two fences and entered the tiger enclosure. Ms Brookes said: “He was approached by the tiger and the ensuing physical contact between the tiger and Mr Chapman led to him sustaining multiple traumatic injuries which rapidly led to his death.”
Family tribute and next steps
Eyewitnesses have reported seeing Mr Chapman “pacing around” while wearing headphones shortly after 1.30pm, before entering the enclosure and being attacked. Mr Chapman, who is understood to have visited the park on his own, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to South Yorkshire Police.
A full inquest will be held on March 18 next year. Ahead of the inquest opening, Mr Chapman's family said he had suffered from “significant mental illness over a number of years” and that he had been “prescribed strong medication.”
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, they said: “It will be for the coroner to decide what part this played in his death. We would ask everybody to respect that process.” Mr Chapman's family also said “deeply offensive media content” was causing them “severe distress” after US President Donald Trump reposted a widely shared video of the incident.
They added: “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. William was a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back.”
As a child, Mr Chapman appeared in ITV's May Contain Nuts, alongside Harry Potter actress Shirley Henderson, and in the BBC's True Stories series, according to IMDB. He previously attended Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. In a tribute shared on Facebook, the school said it was “deeply saddened” to hear of the loss of its former student, adding “we loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer.”
City of Doncaster Council, which is responsible for licensing the park, said on Monday it had started a health and safety investigation.
