FATHER TELLS INQUEST OF E-BIKE BATTERY REPAIR BEFORE CAMBRIDGE FIRE DEATHS

Scott Peden told an inquest he had a second-hand e-bike battery repaired twice before a fire at his home killed his partner and their two children. The fire broke out on Sackville Close in Cambridge on 30 June 2023, killing Gemma Germeney, 31, and children Lilly, eight, and Oliver, four. Peden survived. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said at the time that the most probable cause was an e-bike that had been charging.

Peden told the inquest the e-bike cost £900 and was advertised as in "perfect working order", but the battery was later stolen. Unable to afford a direct replacement, he bought a second-hand battery online around 9 June, also advertised as in perfect condition. It was slow to charge and later cut out near his home, so a colleague referred him to a repairman, Stoil Severinov. On a first visit with Germeney's father, Severinov said the battery was too powerful for the fuse and changed it for £30. Peden said he returned alone when the fault recurred, and Severinov, after saying the battery needed replacing, offered to "bypass the cells" for £10 without mentioning any risks.

Peden said he planned to use the bike until payday, when he intended to buy a new battery and charger. He said that on the night of the fire he heard a "massive bang" through the house. Severinov, giving evidence through an interpreter, said he changed the socket and fuse on the first visit and only the fuse on the second. The inquest heard that both repairs had been presented as temporary fixes. Peden told the inquest the replacement battery had been in his possession for over three weeks before the fire.