Family of man killed by tiger raise concerns about contact with mental health services, inquest hears

The family of William Chapman, who died after he was attacked by a tiger, have expressed concerns about his contact with mental health services before his death, an inquest heard.

Mr Chapman was killed by the animal at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on Saturday.

The 24-year-old's family said he had suffered from "significant mental illness over a number of years" and was "prescribed strong medication".

An inquest into the death, which opened at Doncaster Coroner's Court on Thursday, heard Mr Chapman had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered bouts of psychosis.

He was under adult mental health services in Doncaster but was "highly functioning and independent with no care requirements", the hearing was told.

Coroner's officer Caitlin Brookes said Mr Chapman's family expressed "a number of concerns" in relation to his contact with mental health services.

An initial post-mortem examination found Mr Chapman, a self-employed online trader who was living in Doncaster, died from multiple traumatic injuries after he entered the enclosure.

Ms Brookes said he was "approached by the tiger and the ensuing physical contact between the tiger and Mr Chapman led to him sustaining multiple traumatic injuries which rapidly led to his death".

Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust launched an investigation following Mr Chapman's death, Ms Brookes said, while City of Doncaster Council - which is responsible for licensing the park - said on Monday it had started a health and safety investigation.

A full inquest is set to be held in March next year.

In a previous statement on social media, the wildlife park said "many, many people" had contacted them about Altai, the Amur tiger involved in the incident, and it confirmed he is "safe and well" and will not be euthanised.

Mr Chapman's family said in a statement earlier this week that they were hopeful authorities would "get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did", but added that "the publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time".

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It comes after US President Donald Trump posted footage of Mr Chapman being fatally attacked by a tiger at the park to his 13 million followers on Truth Social, accompanied with the message: "Don't ever mess with nature!"

Mr Trump followed this up with another post - this time an AI-generated video of him grappling with a tiger, which appears to mimic the original.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard condemned the president's actions, saying the Chapman family had contacted his office.

Mr Coppard said: "I know all decent people across South Yorkshire will be sending them their love, thoughts and empathy."

Mr Chapman, a former child actor, appeared in ITV's May Contain Nuts and the BBC's True Stories series, according to IMDB.

He previously attended Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

In a tribute shared on Facebook, the school said it was "deeply saddened" to hear of the loss of its former student, adding "we loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer".

(c) Sky News 2026: Family of man killed by tiger raise concerns about contact with mental healt