William Harry Bruce Chapman was 24 years old when he arrived alone at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on the afternoon of 10 October 2026. Born in Chichester in 2002, he had moved to Doncaster seeking what neighbours later described as a fresh start. He lived independently in a city-centre flat, worked as a self-employed online trader, and was known to keep largely to himself. Neighbours who shared his building said he visited a nearby bar once a week, ordering an orange juice or half a John Smith’s, and that he enjoyed hiking in the Peak District. He had previously attended the Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe and had appeared as a child actor. On that Saturday afternoon, shortly after 1.30pm, he climbed two fences and entered the Land of the Tigers enclosure.

Mobile-phone footage he recorded shows him walking across the grᴀss toward Altai, a five-year-old male Amur tiger weighing more than 200 kilograms. Eyewitnesses later told investigators he had been wearing headphones and pacing near the barrier before he went over. Park staff fired air sH๏τs in an attempt to distract the animal; visitors shouted for him to come back. He was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at the scene. An initial post-mortem examination recorded the cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries and animal interaction. The full inquest was opened on 15 October at Doncaster Coroner’s Court by Senior Coroner Nicola Mundy and was adjourned until 18 March 2027.

The family chose not to attend the opening hearing, telling the coroner they were finding things incredibly difficult. In a public statement they described him as a bright, warm and engaging young man who had suffered significant mental illness over a number of years and had been prescribed strong medication. They said it would be for the coroner to decide what part that played in his death and asked the public to respect the process. Coroner’s officer Caitlin Brookes told the court that Chapman had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis. He was under the care of adult mental health services in Doncaster yet was described as highly functioning and independent with no care requirements. The family had raised a number of concerns about his contact with those services. The Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust launched its own investigation.

City of Doncaster Council, which licenses the park, began a health-and-safety inquiry and said it would share its findings with the coroner. South Yorkshire Police gathered witness statements from visitors and staff. The coroner instructed that any relevant CCTV be preserved and that inquiries be made into whether Chapman had visited the park before. His stepfather formally identified him at the mortuary on 13 October. Flowers appeared at the park entrance in the days that followed. The park itself issued a statement expressing heartfelt sympathies to the family and confirming that Altai remained uninjured, would not be euthanised, and that the safety of visitors, staff and animals remained the priority. The attraction reopened on 16 October. As the longer inquest approaches, the documented facts centre on a young man living independently, a diagnosed mental-health history, a deliberate entry into a large-carnivore enclosure, and the severe injuries that resulted.