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Ambulance trust investigates staff access to tiger attack victim William Chapman's records

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust says two staff may have accessed or tried to access information about William Chapman, killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, without a legitimate reason. It has begun an investigation and told the Information Commissioner's Office.

5 outlets · 2L · 2C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: GB News
Image: BBC News
Image: Daily Mirror
Image: Evening Standard
Image: The Guardian

1 / 5

The story, neutrally told

Centre · 2Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said on 16 October that it believes two members of its staff may have accessed, or attempted to access, incident or medical information about William Chapman without a legitimate reason to do so. Mixed · 2Chapman was killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster; the trust said the concern was identified through its own proactive audits. Mixed · 2The trust has started an investigation into the full circumstances of these potential breaches and the actions of the individuals, has reported the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), and says it is keeping Chapman's family informed.

Centre · 1The trust's wording is cautious: it speaks of "potential breaches" and of what it "believes" may have happened, and the coverage does not say who the staff are, what they viewed or whether any action has been taken against them. Mixed · 2Chapman entered the tiger enclosure at about 1.30pm on Saturday 10 October after climbing two fences, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Mixed · 2His age is given as 24 by the BBC, the Evening Standard and the Daily Mirror, but as 23 by GB News.

Mixed · 2An inquest opening at Doncaster Coroner's Court on Thursday heard he died of multiple traumatic injuries after his encounter with the tiger, and the inquest was adjourned until March next year. Mixed · 2The coroner heard that Chapman had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had suffered bouts of psychosis, that he was under adult mental health services but was described as "highly functioning", and that his family had raised concerns about his contact with mental health services; Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust has begun an independent patient safety investigation. Right · 1His family said he had suffered significant mental illness and been prescribed strong medication, that it is for the coroner to decide what part this played, and asked people to stop circulating offensive media content and not to approach them.

Mixed · 2City of Doncaster Council, which licenses the park, is carrying out a health and safety investigation, and the park reopened on Friday after a six-day closure; it said the tiger, Altai, will not be euthanised.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left2 outlets

Framing
The Mirror leads on the records access claim, then gives a broad roundup of the inquest, the mental health investigation and the park's reopening, with detail on Chapman's background.
Emphasis
Chapman's mental health history, the family's concerns, his past as a child actor and his Instagram video.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not include the family's request that people stop sharing offensive content.
Charged language
“fatally attacked”
For example
“Tiger attack victim William Chapman's medical records 'accessed by two NHS staff'” — Daily Mirror
“jumped inside the tiger enclosure at the park on Saturday and was fatally attacked by a 30st Amur tiger” — Daily Mirror

Centre2 outlets

Framing
The BBC gives a short report built on the trust's statement; the Evening Standard pairs it with a long account of the inquest and the park's reopening.
Emphasis
The trust's statement and the investigation; the Standard adds the reopening scene and details on the enclosure.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither reports the family's own statement; the BBC leaves out the inquest's mental health detail.
Charged language
“mauled to death”
For example
“may have been accessed "without a legitimate reason" by staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Trust” — BBC News
“Medical records relating to a man mauled to death by a tiger were either inappropriately accessed or attempts were made to do so” — Evening Standard

Right1 outlet

Framing
GB News leads on staff who 'tried to access' the records and quotes the trust, then gives the family's statement about his mental illness and the distress caused by circulating media.
Emphasis
The family's tribute and appeal for privacy; the trust's confidentiality statement.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not mention the inquest hearing or the other investigations.
Charged language
“mauled to death”“deeply offensive media content”
For example
“NHS staff 'tried to access' medical records of man mauled to death by tiger in Yorkshire zoo” — GB News
“The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress” — GB News

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