British boy Julian Cadman was killed in Barcelona attack, family confirms

The grieving family of Julian Cadman, the British boy killed in the Barcelona terror attack, said they will never forget his smiles.

The seven-year-old was in the Spanish city with his mother, Jumarie Cadman, to attend a family wedding.

The pair were separated as a white van careered down Las Ramblas, killing 13 and injuring more than 100.

Julian's family said in a statement on Sunday: "We are so blessed to have had him in our lives and will remember  his smiles and hold his memory dear to our hearts." 

It took several days to formally identify his body because DNA confirmation was required, senior Catalan government sources told the Telegraph.

Andrew Cadman, the boy's father, heard the news of the attack on the radio and on discovering that his son was missing, immediately flew from Sydney to Barcelona, arriving in the early hours of Saturday morning.

It is believed he was taken straight to the Ciutat de la Justicia, where victims of the Las Ramblas terror attack were being identified by forensic experts.

He was then taken. with a police escort, to the Vall d'Hebron hospital where his wife underwent surgery and remains in a serious condition.

Julian was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and lived in the UK for four years, attending Chiddingstone Nursery, set in a castle in the countryside, before the family-of-three moved to Australia three years ago.

They return to the UK once a year to visit Mrs Cadman's older sister, Judith, whose daughter Justine's wedding the pair were attending in Barcelona. 

Julian's paternal grandfather, Tony Cadman, originally from Gillingham, had emigrated to Sydney decades earlier.

The family had put out urgent appeals for information about Julian on social media, which were removed from the internet on Saturday.

Family member Debbie Cadman wrote on Facebook: "It is beyond words what we are experiencing at the moment. We appreciate all prayers and love."

A pharmacist who comforted Mrs Cadman in the immediate aftermath of the attack has described how she  ignored her own as she begged for information about her son.

Fouad Bakkali comforted Mrs Cadman as she lay on the floor of his Las Ramblas shop, waiting for paramedics. 

“I was with the mother, the Australian mother, until the doctor came,’’ he said.

“I was at her side helping her, telling her, ‘be calm, don’t worry.’’

He said Mrs Cadman appeared to be suffering two broken legs, a back injury and had a large wound on her head.

“She was asking all the time about her little boy. She asked me ‘where is my son’. She told me he was seven years old,’’ a Mr Bakkali added.

“I told her, 'he is good, it will be OK.'

“I helped to keep her breathing until the doctor’s came."