Inquest opens into William Chapman tiger attack death at Yorkshire Wildlife Park
An inquest has heard William Chapman, 24, had schizophrenia and his family raised concerns about his mental health care before he was killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
An inquest has opened into the death of William Chapman, a 24-year-old man who was attacked and killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster.
The opening hearing at Doncaster Coroner's Court heard that Mr Chapman had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis. He was born in Chichester, West Sussex, and was described in court as a self-employed online trader. Despite his mental health history, he lived independently in Doncaster city centre, a few hundred yards from the court.
His family did not attend the hearing in person but expressed a number of concerns about his contact with mental health services before his death. The NHS trust responsible for his care, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust, said its deepest sympathies were with his family and friends. It has commissioned an independent patient safety incident investigation. The trust said the investigation remains underway, that William's family are aware, and that they will be fully supported to take part.
The court heard that Mr Chapman climbed two fences to get into the tiger enclosure at the park on Saturday afternoon. Video showed him inside the enclosure moments before the attack. The sound was not used in reports, but an onlooker could be heard saying: "Oh my God." An eyewitness said he had been wearing headphones and pacing around before he went in. Tests later showed he suffered multiple traumatic injuries.
A neighbour described him as a polite, well-spoken and lovely man. Friends remembered him as a lovely man with a passion for Formula One, and said he sometimes struggled. The neighbour said Mr Chapman clearly needed more support for his mental health. His family said in a statement that they hoped the authorities would get to the bottom of why their "amazing son" did what he did.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park is due to reopen, including the land around the tiger enclosure. In a statement, the park said its thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remained with Mr Chapman's family, friends and loved ones. It said the safety and wellbeing of visitors, staff, team and animals remained its highest priority. The park said Altai, the five-year-old Siberian tiger involved in the attack, was safe and well and would not be euthanised. His ongoing welfare was a priority for the animal care team.
The opening inquest was adjourned. A full inquest is due to resume in March next year.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 3 channels | |||
| An inquest heard that Chapman's family had raised concerns about his mental health care. | |||
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | |||
| An inquest heard that William Chapman had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had previously suffered bouts of psychosis. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by ITV | |
| Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust launched an investigation into the care it gave Chapman. | Not reported by BBC News | ||
| William Chapman, a 24-year-old man, died after being attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | |
| Only on one channel | |||
| An eyewitness said William Chapman was wearing headphones and pacing before he entered the tiger enclosure. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Five-year-old Siberian tiger Altai was safe and well and would not be euthanised. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Friends described William Chapman as a lovely man who was passionate about Formula One. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| William Chapman was a 24-year-old self-employed online trader from Chichester. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV |
| Yorkshire Wildlife Park was set to reopen today, including the tiger enclosure area. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV led with a court reporter at Doncaster, giving more detail on William Chapman's background and local ties. It focused on his independent life, his neighbour's view that he needed more mental health support, and the family's concerns about the NHS trust. It also noted the park would reopen the next day.
- “He was a 24-year-old man who was born in Chichester in West Sussex and was described in court as a self-employed online trader.”
- “I actually spoke to his next-door neighbour earlier on today. He didn't want to appear on camera, but he spoke fondly of Mr Chapman but said it was clear that he needed more support for his mental health.”
- “They didn't appear here personally but they did express their concerns about the care that he received from Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust.”
This bulletin gave a more personal profile of William Chapman, including friends' description of him and an eyewitness account. It focused on the video inside the enclosure, the headphones and pacing detail, and the family's hope that authorities would find out why he acted as he did. It also reported the trust's independent patient safety investigation.
- “A lovely man with a passion for Formula One. That's how friends describe William Chapman”
- “An eyewitness said he was seen wearing headphones and pacing around before going in”
- “the family themselves have said they're hopeful that the authorities will get to the bottom of why our amazing son Did what he did?”
BBC NEWS led with the park's reopening and the inquest findings. It gave the fullest account of the park's statement, named the tiger Altai and reported that he would not be euthanised. It also carried the trust's response and confirmed the full inquest would be held in March next year.
- “Yorkshire Wildlife Park will reopen to the public after a man who entered an enclosure was attacked and killed by a tiger.”
- “Yorkshire Wildlife Park added that the five-year-old Siberian tiger called Altai which was involved in the attack was safe and well and would not be euthanised as a result of the incident.”
- “The NHS trust responsible for his care said, our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of William Chapman.”
Broadcast Timeline
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