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Man killed in tiger attack was former UK child actor who appeared alongside Harry Potter star
The man mauled to death by a tiger at a UK park was a former child actor who appeared alongside a Harry Potter star.
On Saturday (October 10), a man identified as William Chapman - who was 23 years old and described as vulnerable by police - jumped an enclosure housing the rare Amur tiger, Altai, at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Chapman reportedly pointed his finger at the big cat and told it to "stop being naughty." Witnesses also reportedly shouted at him to play dead, but he appeared to not understand their warnings before the tiger launched its fatal attack.
It has now emerged that the late man was a former student at the Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe, which was attended by many stars like James Corden, Eddie Redmayne, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Chapman was a child actor
As a young actor, Chapman appeared in the ITV show May Contain Nuts alongside Shirley Henderson, who was known for playing Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter franchise, and Darren Boyd, BBC reported.
The two-part comedy drama aired in 2009, and Chapman portrayed the role of Alfie Chaplin, the younger son of Henderson and Boyd's characters.
He is also credited with playing Edward Jenner, who pioneered the smallpox vaccine, as a young boy in the BBC series True Stories in 2012.
Jackie Palmer Stage School, where Mr Chapman was a former student, paid tribute to him, writing: "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.
"Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with William's family and friends during this incredibly difficult time," they added.
Donald Trump shared footage of the tiger attack
A video of the incident has been widely shared on social media, including on Truth Social by President Donald Trump. He captioned the footage: "Dont [sic] ever mess with nature! President DJT."
Many users were outraged by the post and called out the 80-year-old for being insensitive.
One person wrote: "Posting about a man being killed Trump has no compassion whatsoever.”
Another said: "So instead of saying that this is a horrible situation and should have been avoided or prevented, you condone this, even gloat. No one is surprised. Our only hope that your end will be similar."
A third said: "This is utterly outrageous and just so incredibly low. This is real person who passed away and has a family."
Witness reveals what Chapman did after climbing into the enclosure
South Yorkshire Police confirmed that Chapman was visiting the park alone.
One witness said they had seen the 23-year-old "dancing with headphones on" shortly before he jumped into the enclosure.
Anthony Hunt, who had been at the wildlife park with his girlfriend, told Sky News that they had been taking photos of the tiger when they saw its composure change and its head turn.
"Its eyes locked on to something in the enclosure. We thought maybe he's getting fed. When Scarlett was taking photos - we suddenly saw in the camera lens that a guy had entered the enclosure," Anthony said.
The man "bowed down, on all fours, started praying, and looking up at the sky," he said.
"The tiger was still on the landing at this point" but then "leapt off the landing, and sniffed the guy".
Chapman's family speaks out
In a statement, Chapman's family said that he had suffered from "significant mental illness" over a number of years and had been prescribed "strong medication".
"William was a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved - and William loved them back," they said.
On the videos circulating - including the one which was shared by Trump - they said: "The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time.
"The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened," the statement continued. "The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their upmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did."
City of Doncaster Council has launched a health and safety investigation into Chapman's death, and the park remains closed.