The death of 24-year-old William Chapman after he entered a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park has prompted questions about his mental health care, while his family have condemned the circulation of abusive videos and memes depicting his final moments.
Mr Chapman, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered episodes of psychosis, was mauled by an Amur tiger named Altai at the wildlife park near Doncaster last Saturday. An inquest into his death was opened at Doncaster Coroners Court on Thursday.
His family have raised concerns about the support he received from Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust while he was living in the area. The trust has launched an investigation, while a separate health and safety inquiry into the zoo is due to be carried out by City of Doncaster Council.
Coroner’s officer Caitlin Brookes told the hearing that Mr Chapman’s relatives had expressed “a number of concerns” about his care. His family said they were hopeful that the relevant authorities would establish what led to his actions.
In a statement, they described Mr Chapman as “a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back”.
They added: “Sadly, William suffered from significant mental illness over a number of years and was consequently prescribed strong medicine.
“It will be for the coroner to decide what played a part in his death. We would ask everybody to respect this process.”
William Chapman’s final hours
Mr Chapman had been standing on a footbridge above the tiger enclosure when he asked a member of the public to photograph him with the animal in the background.
Minutes later, witnesses said he climbed over the barrier and dropped into the enclosure, where he was attacked. Emergency services attended, but his injuries were fatal and he died at the scene.
Witnesses said he had been dancing while wearing headphones as he walked through the wildlife park and was also seen moving on the bridge before entering the enclosure. One visitor described him as appearing “detached from reality”.
Anthony Hunt, 22, said: “It looked like a performance. He got down where everyone could see him in the main viewing area.
“He had his arms wide open like he was saying: ‘Come here, tiger. Kill me’. Then the tiger came and started to attack him.
“He started to fight back and screamed. It was like he was just detached from reality.”
In the 24 hours before his death, Mr Chapman had shared a series of unusual images online, including photographs from a gym, Sheffield Grand Mosque and his Doncaster flat. Other posts showed an Ancient Greek warrior’s helmet, a model SAS soldier holding the Ugandan flag and an image of him holding a crossbow and a Bible.
His family have also been left distressed by hundreds of videos, which they said were generated and circulated online after his death. They described the material as “deeply offensive media” and called for it to stop.
The raw material said US President Donald Trump subsequently shared an AI video making light of Mr Chapman’s death, despite the family’s appeal.
A promising young actor
Before his death, Mr Chapman had been remembered by teachers and relatives as a talented child actor with the potential for a successful career.
He attended the Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe, where he studied alongside pupils who later included Eddie Redmayne and James Corden. He appeared in small roles in BBC and ITV productions by the age of ten.
At seven, he acted in ITV comedy drama May Contain Nuts alongside Shirley Henderson. Three years later, he played a young Edward Jenner in a BBC series called True Stories.
Marylyn Phillips, who taught him for more than a decade, said he had been “vibrant, talented and popular”.
She said: “It was very difficult when I heard the news. It is just so sad when someone is young, talented, and has everything going for them.
“It’s heartbreaking enough when they leave [the school] let alone this. They are a lovely family, and they are devastated.”
Mrs Phillips said Mr Chapman had been diligent and committed, adding: “If I gave him a script, it would be learned by the next time I saw him.”
He was born in Chichester, West Sussex, and spent much of his childhood in High Wycombe with his mother, stepfather and siblings. His mother, Virginia Burges, is a published author and violinist.
As a teenager, Mr Chapman began experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder and stopped attending stage school at the age of 15. His mother wrote in a parenting blog in 2017 that she had been concerned about his changing behaviour and did not want him to become absorbed in gaming.
He later returned to drama, travelled abroad with friends and on a school trip to Uganda, and resumed his academic studies. His mother wrote at the time that she was “in awe of his work ethic” and believed he was building a bright future.
His family said that, despite his diagnosis and treatment, he had been “highly functioning and independent with no care requirements” while living in Doncaster, where he worked as a self-employed online trader.
A former neighbour said Mr Chapman had been shy but polite and well-spoken, and had become more approachable in the months before his death. However, the neighbour said he did not seem like his usual self when they last met about a week before the incident.
Questions over mental health support
The inquest is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding Mr Chapman’s death, including the concerns raised by his family about mental health services.
The NHS trust has previously faced criticism over aspects of its mental health provision. Cheswold Park mental health hospital in Doncaster was removed from special measures two years ago, although its overall rating remained inadequate.
A 2024 survey by Rotherham Healthwatch found that 70 per cent of respondents rated the crisis service as unhelpful, while half said staff were not caring, compassionate or understanding.
The family’s specific concerns about Mr Chapman’s treatment have not been detailed publicly. The full inquest hearing is expected to take place in March next year.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park reopened on Friday, including its Land of the Tigers exhibit. The investigation into the zoo and the inquest will now proceed as Mr Chapman’s relatives try to establish what happened in the final days of a young man whose family said he had been deeply loved.
