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Warning: This article contains discussion of mental health which some readers may find distressing.

The family of a man who was mauled to death by a tiger at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park had expressed concerns about his contact with mental health services leading up to his death, an inquest has heard.

The victim, William Chapman, had been attacked by the animal at the wildlife park in Doncaster, on Saturday.

His family said he had suffered from ‘significant mental illness over a number of years’ and was ‘prescribed strong medication’.

William Chapman died in the incident (Instagram)

The coroners hearing was told that William’s family had confirmed he had ‘a history of mental illness, a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis’.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, his family had said: “It will be for the coroner to decide what part this played in his death.”

The former child actor had recorded himself approaching the big cat before the incident occurred in front of park attendees.

A hearing held at Doncaster Coroner’s Court on Thursday morning heard how William climbed two fences before entering the enclosure.

A post mortem gave his provisional cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries from animal interaction.

Floral tributes were left at the park (Dave Higgens/PA Wire)

He was under adult mental health services in Doncaster but was ‘highly functioning and independent with no care requirements,’ the inquest heard.

Coroners officer Caitlin Brookes said the Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation trust had launched an investigation following his death.

His family previously issued a tribute in which they described the 24-year-old, who was a self-employed online trader, as ‘a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back.’

Emergency services were contacted shortly after 1.30pm on 10 October when Mr Chapman, who police said was visiting the park alone, entered the enclosure.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

City of Doncaster Council, which is responsible for licensing the park, has since confirmed it has started a health and safety investigation.

William Chapman had concerns raised about his mental health (Family Handout)

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.

A full inquest into the death of Mr Chapman will be held on 18 March.

If you’re experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They’re open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you’re not comfortable talking on the phone.

The NHS has issued guidance on how people can protect themselves from American Covid as cases of the virus are on the rise.

Figures from the UK Health Security Agency have shown that there were 4,589 reported cases in September, a significant increase of 230 percent from the 1,374 reported cases in August.

This big increase was also reflected in a rise in the number of hospital admissions for Covid, which rose by 420 percent over the same period, from 950 to 4,939, with over half of the positive cases being linked to the XFG variant.

In a blog post the UKHSA has also issued a warning about the condition, advising people who show symptoms of it to stay away from people who are immunocompromised and to self-isolate.

“If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as Covid-19, and you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, you should avoid contact with vulnerable people and stay at home if possible,” said the UKHSA.

Cases are on the rise as the days are getting colder (Getty Stock)

The name ‘American Covid’ refers to the XFG Covid variants, with the UKHSA explaining that the condition was named for the place where it was first detected and then sequenced, not necessarily where it originated.

There are also concerns that the actual figures of infections are higher as these do not account for people experiencing milder symptoms, who can also spread the virus to people who may be vulnerable to having more serious symptoms.

Nonetheless, while there is a spike in cases as we move into the colder months of the year, the UKHSA said that cases are still far below their highest point back in January 2021.

At this time there were over 20,000 people in hospital, according to the UKHSA.

The NHS has advised that people who believe that they have covid should self-isolate for three to five days, avoiding contact with other people, while for people under 18 this is three days.

If someone has a positive covid test then they should avoid contact with people who are immunocompromised for a period of at least 10 days.

People have been advised to avoid contact with immunocompromised people if they test positive (Getty Stock)

The current rise in cases has come as health bosses in the UK have advised people to start getting both flu and Covid as we start to move into winter, when we typically start to see a rise in cases each year.

Symptoms of the condition have also been shared in an effort to help people spot if they may have picked it up.

If you have the XFG strain of covid then you may find that you feel excessively tired or exhausted, because the condition impacts your upper airway.

Other symptoms can include hoarseness, a fever, a cough, and a sore throat, which are also symptoms which match the Omicron variant of Covid.

Most of the time if you show symptoms you do not need to take a lateral flow test, the NHS has said, though it has warned about avoiding contact with people who are immunocompromised, such as the elderly, small children, and people with a disability or medical condition which makes them vulnerable to respiratory conditions.

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has decided to overturn the death sentence given to a migrant worker over a now-deleted comment on Facebook.

Anojan Sivarasa, from Sri Lanka, was convicted of blasphemy against Islam over his response to a video of a young Muslim man kicking a dog following Hindu pilgrims.

On 28 June, the 24-year-old replied with a comment in Tamil to another user who wrote a derogatory comment about a Hindu deity by insulting Prophet Muhammad.

“The comment quickly gained attention, and a screenshot was apparently sent to Saudi authorities and Sivarasa’s employer,” the Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported.

“Sivarasa deleted the comment and uploaded an apology video to his Facebook account. Sivarasa’s employer held him in its office for at least 24 hours and then took him to the Dammam police station, where he was arrested on 1 July, a family member said.”

The Al-Ahsa Public Prosecution charged Sivarasa with ‘verbally insulting and offending our Prophet Muhammad’ and ‘producing and disseminating, through the information network, material prejudicial to religious values and public morals, by publishing a comment on a social media program containing words contrary to religious values and public morals,’ according to court documents seen by HRW.

Last month, the sole breadwinner told his loved ones that he had been sentenced to death, with one family member saying: “We never expected this situation.

“The family is shocked and they still are recovering from that state of shock.”

Death sentence overturned

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has overturned Anojan Sivarasa’s death sentence (Human Rights Watch)

Faizer Mustafa, who is involved in legal negotiations with Saudi Arabia regarding Sivarasa’s case, told BBC Sinhala that Saudi Arabia had overturned the death sentence and were reviewing the Supreme Court’s latest ruling.

“Saudi authorities should end their use of abusive laws to hand out extraordinary sentences for speech-related offenses, especially against migrant workers who are already in a vulnerable position with limited protections,” HRW senior Saudi Arabia researcher Joey Shea said.

“Sentencing a migrant worker to death over a Facebook comment that he has publicly apologized for is an outrageous overreaction from Saudi authorities amid a surge in executions.

“No one should face execution for a comment on religion.”

How many people have been executed in Saudi Arabia this year?

People accused of blasphemy in Saudi Arabia who faced the death penalty (LADbible/ITV/Supplied)

According to Amnesty International, nearly 100 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia this year, as of 18 June 2026.

“Foreign nationals have borne the brunt of Saudi Arabia’s ruthless use of the death penalty for drug-related offences, frequently after grossly unfair trials. It is profoundly alarming that at least 63 Ethiopian nationals, held in a single ward of Khamis Mushait detention facility in south-west Saudi Arabia, may be at imminent risk of execution solely for drug-related offences,” said Dana Ahmed, Middle East Researcher at Amnesty International.

“Concerns for their safety have heightened after seven Ethiopians were executed earlier this year – all for ‘smuggling hashish’.

“Saudi Arabia’s execution spree reflects a dangerous global trend in which punitive drug policies are increasingly driving the use of the death penalty. The international community must speak out unequivocally against these unlawful executions, and Saudi Arabia must immediately establish a moratorium on the use of this cruel and irreversible punishment as a first critical step towards abolition.”

Amnesty International recorded at least 356 executions in 2025 alone.