Surviving father had second-hand e-bike battery repaired before it sparked house fire that killed his two young children and their mother, he tells inquest

The battery of an e-bike which sparked a house fire that claimed three lives had been modified in a workshop, the surviving father told an inquest. Mother Gemma Germeney, 31, and her two young children Lilly Peden, eight, and Oliver Peden, four, were killed in a fire at their home in Sackville Close, Cambridge, on June 30, 2023. Around 30 firefighters from six different crews all attended the scene to try and battle the flames that night at around 1am in the devastating fire. But the property was destroyed, with the walls left charred black and the windows smashed due to the intense heat and smoke. The children's father, Scott Peden, survived the horrific blaze, but was in a coma for a month after. Today, he gave evidence during a two-day inquest into his deceased wife's death, telling the court how the battery on the bike - which he had bought from Facebook in 'perfect working order' - had been stolen. Mr Peden said he could not afford a replacement battery on the £900 electric bike, which he used to commute to work. He told the court that instead of buying a new battery, he bought a second-hand replacement which would 'cut out' and was given the number of repairman Stoil Severinov. Scott Peden pictured with his partner, Gemma, and their children Lilly, eight, and Oliver, four. Gemma and the children all died in the fire Mother-of-two Gemma Germeney (pictured) died at the scene When Mr Peden visited Mr Severinov, who was aided in court by a Turkish interpreter, he was told the battery was 'too powerful' for the bike. Mr Severinov offered to change the fuse for £30. But Mr Peden found the battery 'cut out' again and visited Mr Severinov at his workshop, where he was told the battery needed replacing. Mr Peden said he could not afford a replacement until payday as he had 'nothing in the bank'. The court heard Mr Severinov 'offered to bypass the cells' - which would mean routing the electrical current around a weak cell so that it remains isolated within the battery pack. Mr Peden had planned to return to purchase a new battery, but before he could the battery caught fire, sparking the huge blaze that tragically claimed Gemma, Oliver and Lilly's lives. The father recalled the night of the fire, telling the court: 'I put the kids to bed and went to bed myself as I had to get up early. Everything seemed normal. The walls of the property were left charred black and the windows were smashed during the extreme heat and smoke of the blaze 'It was a massive bang that went through the entire house. 'It was like you were lying on wooden floor and someone dropped a bowling ball next to you.' Cambridgeshire Fire Service said at the time of the fire that the most probable cause was an e-bike that was on charge. The court heard Mr Severinov was interviewed under caution by the Office for Product Safety and Standards, but that no final decision had been made on whether to initiate criminal proceedings against him. Miles Bennett, representing Mr Peden, told the court that Mr Severinov told the Office for Product Safety and Standards that he didn't supply lithium-ion batteries for e-bikes. Mr Severinov told the court: 'I don't sell batteries myself. I was trying to tell him I could get a battery for him.' At the outset of the hearing, Mr Peden gave a pen portrait of his family which was read on his behalf. It read: 'I live every day with tragic memory of that night and the huge loss of the family I loved and lived for.' Another from Gemma Germeney's mother, described her and the children as 'sunshine on a cold dark night', adding that the family was 'broken beyond repair'. Since the fire, Mr Peden has campaigned for a complete ban on the sale of lithium batteries for e-scooters and e-bikes. Speaking in 2024, he said that before the fire he 'had no idea about the dangers of these lithium-ion batteries' and there was a 'desperate need for a change in regulation'. The inquest continues.