Neighbours of William Chapman, the man killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, have said he moved to Doncaster for a "fresh start" and never spoke about his past.
Kelsey Smith, 18, and Joshua Anderson, 23, lived next to Chapman in the Doncaster block of flats where he resided in July 2026. The couple described him as a man "who didn't have many people around him" and who would "keep himself to himself".
Kelsey, who works at a bar around the corner from the flats, said Chapman would visit once a week and order an orange juice or half a John Smith's.
Inquest findings
An inquest into Chapman's death heard he died of "multiple traumatic injuries and animal interaction" after climbing into the tiger enclosure at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Senior coroner Nicola Mundy noted he had a history of mental illness, a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis.
Joshua, a warehouse worker, said he felt Chapman came to Doncaster for a "fresh start" and that they never saw any family visit his flat. He remarked: "He could have potentially misunderstood what he was doing. But now we are speculating."
Joshua added: "He never said why he was in Doncaster, or if he was receiving any mental health care. One time he told our bar manager not to worry about him talking to himself. It was a part of him. He never spoke of his past life. It was like when he came to Doncaster, he wanted a fresh start. He didn't tell us he was an actor. He didn't say anything about his schooling. He was a harmless young man who made a fatal mistake."
Neighbours' observations
Joshua said he often saw Chapman sitting alone at a bus stop with his headphones on, and that Chapman told him he often went hiking. "He was living alone in the apartment. He'd be sat at a bus stop or stood by the council building with his headphones on. He often went hiking and into the Peak District. Just enjoying himself, and I think he found peace in that, so for him to be at the zoo wasn't out of character for him," Joshua said.
Joshua, who knew Chapman well, described him as a "frequent customer" at the Ballers Club down the road. He said that over the last 12 months, Chapman had developed more of a voice and would open up to people. "He would not socialise at all; he'd struggle to ask for, like, his order of a drink or whatever he wanted, which frequently was a John Smith's or a pint of orange juice, but he would never over-drink. He was just quiet; he enjoyed his time on his own. He might speak to himself a little bit, and then he would go."
The inquest also heard Chapman was under adult mental health services in Doncaster but was "highly functioning and independent, with no care requirements".
Another side to him
Kelsey, a barmaid, said Chapman seemed like someone who could "take care of himself" and could hold a conversation. She said: "He would come into the pub a lot; I would speak to him and see him coming in and out of the apartment building. He did keep himself to himself; he was reserved and quiet - but there was another side to him. Whenever you would speak to him about something he enjoyed, like F1, his world would light up, and he would come out of his shell."
Kelsey added: "He was really sweet. I don't want people thinking he was a horrible, crazy person; that was not true. William was well reserved with people he didn't know, but he could hold a conversation really well. He would talk to you without any problems. People are talking about how he had schizophrenia, but I have never seen that side of him. He was always well-spoken and seemed like he could take care of himself."
