The family of William Chapman, the 23-year-old killed by a tiger at a Yorkshire wildlife park, has issued an emotional plea for 'deeply offensive media content' to stop circulating online after videos of him in the enclosure surfaced.
On Saturday, October 10, William Chapman entered a pen at a Yorkshire wildlife park with a tiger before being attacked. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Family's Tribute and Plea
In a statement read out on Good Morning Britain, his family described him as a 'bright, warm and engaging young man'. They also asked for videos filmed of William in the enclosure moments before he died to stop being shared.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, ITV correspondent Katy Rickitt said: "A video emerged from William's own social media platform yesterday of him entering the tiger enclosure, and his account was shut down."
Distressing Videos Shared Online
Rickitt added: "More distressing, and we're not showing any of these videos out of respect for the family, are videos of actually what happened. The tiger pawing and mouthing at him before the attack. That has been shared by no other than the President of the United States on his own socials."
The ITV correspondent highlighted that Donald Trump has also shared an AI video of himself in the enclosure running around with the tiger.
Health and Safety Investigation
She continued: "That must be extremely distressing for the family, who have asked people not to share these videos. They've asked for the process to happen here; we know that there's a health and safety investigation in the park, which is yet to open."
Good Morning Britain viewers were informed that the wildlife park has confirmed the tiger will not be euthanised following the attack. Katy concluded: "Everything that emerges here just points to a very sad, a very tragic and deeply distressing situation."
Family's Statement on Mental Illness
The statement from William's family detailed that he sadly suffered from 'significant mental illness' over the years and was prescribed strong medication. However, they detailed that it'll be up to the coroner to decide what part this played in his death.
They continued: "We would ask everybody to respect that process. The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened. The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time. We ask people to stop doing this."
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. In the meantime, please do not approach the family, their addresses, or scrape any further social media from William's or his family's accounts.
Good Morning Britain is available to watch on ITV weekdays from 6am.
