// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
E-bike battery in fatal fire had repairs - inquest
Gemma Germeney, pictured with partner Scott Peden, died in the blaze along with their children Oliver and Lilly
An e-bike battery linked to a fire which killed a mother and two children had issues prior to the blaze, an inquest has heard.
Gemma Germeney, 31, and children Lilly, eight, and Oliver, four, lost their lives in the fire on Sackville Close in Cambridge on 30 June 2023. The children's father, Scott Peden, survived.
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said at the time the most probable cause of the fire was an e-bike that was charging.
Scott Peden told the inquest he had bought a replacement battery after the previous one had been stolen and the bike later cut out, and had visited a repairman twice for work done.
Peden told the inquest he had purchased the bike online for £900 and it was in "perfect working order", apart from an incident where he lost the key on a fairground ride.
He said the battery was stolen a few months later and they researched a new one, but it would have been "quite a lot of money and I couldn't afford it at the time".
Peden spent four weeks in a coma after jumping from an upstairs window before trying to tackle the fire
Peden told the inquest bought a second-hand one online advertised as in "perfect working order" around 9 June.
He said the replacement "seemed to take a while to charge", but "it was getting enough for me to get around", however, it then "cut out" near his home.