Former child actor with schizophrenia died after entering tiger enclosure

William Chapman, a 24-year-old former child actor who had schizophrenia and bouts of psychosis, died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. His family are grieving and seeking to understand what happened, including whether his contact with mental health services played a part; questions have also been raised about his gaming.

Chapman had asked a bystander to photograph him with Altai, a 200kg Amur tiger, before climbing into the enclosure and being attacked. He died at the scene despite emergency services arriving quickly. The article notes he had appeared in BBC and ITV productions as a child and played Skyrim, but presents gaming’s possible role in his mental state as a question, not an established cause.