Tiger attack victim William Chapman's troubled years from BBC fame to 'significant mental illness'

Tiger attack victim William Chapman's troubled years from BBC fame to 'significant mental illness' WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. As BBC star William Chapman's heartbroken family name him as the young man who died in the Yorkshire Wildlife Park tiger attack, the Mirror takes a look at his final years before tragedy struck On the afternoon of Saturday, October 10, visitors at Yorkshire Wildlife Park watched on in horror as a young man "jumped 12ft" into the tiger enclosure. What they didn't know then was that they were watching the final moments of TV star William Chapman, remembered by loved ones as a "bright, warm and engaging" 23-year-old, who had enjoyed early success in life as a child actor. In a tragic series of events, which leaves many unanswered questions, William filmed himself approaching Altai, a 30st (200kg) Amur tiger. Distressing footage, which the Mirror has chosen not to share, shows Altai circling William, pawing at him as if in play. Then the big cat pounced, with devastating consequences. One onlooker told the Mirror: "It was quite bad. We were just stood there, frozen... the last thing we saw was the tiger's jaw on his neck." Rangers who fired warning shots "did everything they could" to stop the attack, and were able to scare Altai away with gas-powered acoustic guns. Sadly, it was too late for William, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Now, heartbreaking details have emerged about William's final years before his life was so brutally cut short. 'Strong medication' William's heartbroken family has stated that he suffered from "significant mental illness over a number of years", and had been on "strong medication". In a statement, they shared: "William was a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back. Sadly, William suffered from significant mental illness over a number of years and was consequently prescribed strong medication." The family also pleaded with people to stop posting "deeply offensive media content" of William in the Land of Tigers enclosure, which has, shockingly, been shared by US President Donald Trump with the caption "Don't ever mess with nature!" They continued: The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time. We ask people to stop doing this. "The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their utmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did. It will be for the coroner to decide what part this played in his death. We would ask everybody to respect that process." Acting career William's resume included a starring role in the ITV production May Contain Nuts alongside Shirley Henderson, best known for playing Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter franchise, as well as playing vaccination pioneer Edward Jenner as a youngster in the BBC series True Stories. His mother couldn't have been prouder of his achievements, as glimpsed in a blog post written a little over 12 years ago. In this post, William's mum shared how her son was "passionate about acting and drama", detailing how, during his audition for May Contain Nuts, he had appeared "unburdened by the nerves he can sometimes suffer from these days". She added: "He seemed to relax and thoroughly enjoy himself." She added that working as an extra on Pan, a Peter Pan prequel starring Hollywood heavyweight Hugh Jackman, had been a "wonderful experience for him". This post also included an anecdote written by William, which read: "Once on set, we were sheltering from the pirates under the ship's floorboards, and we had to be terrified! Our chief gets shot by Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman), so remember to look out for that scene if you watch the movie. "After lunch, we just did more tutoring, then we went back on set for a retake of the earlier scene, but we were lucky enough to meet and say hi to Hugh Jackman! We gave him a high five, awesome, right?" Looking back on other roles William had played, his mother continued: "Being a proud mum, I couldn't resist showing off his efforts as the young Edward Jenner for BBC Learning." A talented young actor, William was a former student of High Wycombe's Jackie Palmer Stage School, which yesterday remembered him with "great fondness". In a tribute shared via their official Facebook page, the school said, "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our former student, William Chapman. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with William’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. "We loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer, during his time with us. It was a privilege to be part of his journey, and he will be remembered with great fondness by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. William will be truly missed, and he will always hold a special place in our hearts. Rest in peace, William." Tragic final Instagram posts In the days before his death, William posted various pictures and videos to his Instagram account, ranging from a gym selfie to a picture showing him holding a bible and with a crossbow bolt placed between his teeth, clad in the same clothes he wore when walking into the Doncaster zoo, apparently alone. This second image was taken on the day he died. William, who it's believed had been living in Doncaster around the time of the tragedy, gained entry to the two-acre Land of Tigers enclosure from a 300m-long raised viewing platform where approximately 20 people were standing by as the chaos unfolded. Not long before the scene descended into horror, William, who was seemingly alone, was seen dancing with his AirPods in. He had asked a fellow parkgoer to take a snap of him with the tiger Altai, which could be seen behind him. Not long afterwards, William began climbing into the enclosure, despite the frantic efforts of a woman with children who tried to pull him back. In the aftermath of the incident, eyewitness Del Taylor, who took William's final photos, shared an emotional plea in a TikTok video, addressed to "not very nice" trolls making sick jokes about the tragedy, urging them to "think about why maybe he'd do something like this". Addressing TikTok followers, she said: "I've seen a lot of speculation online about this person, this man, and a lot of it is not very nice, very presumptuous. "I just wish people would take a moment to think about why maybe he'd do something like this. Maybe it was a lack of danger, awareness of danger. I just feel if somebody had seen this man like myself and a few other people had that day, and you'd seen him dancing his way up and down the bridge with his AirPods in. "He was so happy. And then he's come and placed himself next to us and he's passed me his phone, and he's asked me for his photo, and if you'd have seen him, without saying too much, you would understand why I'm saying what I'm saying." She continued: "It's so upsetting to think that apart from that awful viral video of him being attacked by the tiger online that the last photo of that man probably alive is the one that I've taken on his phone for him. But, I'm just asking people to keep a broader mind on what's happened." The City of Doncaster Council has now launched a health and safety investigation into William's death. Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which was evacuated after the incident, remains closed today for the fifth day. Their website states that the zoo is "working closely with the authorities". The zoo park has confirmed that the tiger is safe and well, and will not be euthanised. Meanwhile, South Yorkshire police have passed a file on the incident to the Doncaster Coroner's Court. When life is difficult, Samaritans are available day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org. Do you have a story to share? Email me at [email protected]