Neighbours of William Chapman, the man mauled to death by a tiger at a UK zoo, have described him as a "harmless young man" who came to Doncaster for a "fresh start". Kelsey Smith, 18, and Joshua Anderson, 23, moved into the same block of flats where Chapman lived in July 2026.
A Quiet Neighbour
The couple said Chapman was a man "who didn't have many people around him" and would "keep himself to himself". Kelsey, who works at the bar round the corner from the flats, said Chapman would go in once a week and order an orange juice or half a John Smith's.
During an inquest into Chapman's death, it was heard that he died of "multiple traumatic injuries and animal interaction". Senior Coroner Nicola Mundy said he had a history of mental illness, a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis.
Seeking a Fresh Start
Joshua said he felt Chapman came to Doncaster for a "fresh start" and that they never saw any family visit his flat. He said: "He could have potentially misunderstood what he was doing. But now we are speculating. He never said why he was in Doncaster, or if he was receiving any mental health care."
Joshua, a warehouse worker, added: "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."
Frequent Customer
Joshua said he would often see Chapman sitting alone at a bus stop with his headphones on, and that Chapman would tell 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 he knew Chapman well and that he was a "frequent customer" in the Ballers Club down the road. "I used to work in the ballers club down the road, where he will be quite a frequent customer over the past two years or so," Joshua said. "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. Over the past probably six to 12 months. Maybe is they've kind of developed more of a voice. It starts talking to myself, the other stuff behind the bar."
Under Mental Health Services
The inquest also heard that Chapman was under adult mental health services in Doncaster but was "highly functioning and independent, with no care requirements". 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. 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."
