Female sex predator convicted: Victim's mother offers exclusive insight into the case

After six long years, a modicum of justice has finally been served regarding the odious actions of a female pedophile.

Check out our interview with Donna Ferrari of Cambridge, Ont. It is equal parts baffling, bizarre, and disturbing. And now that the publication ban has been lifted, the story can be told.

This sordid saga dates back to 2018, when Ferrari’s son was 16 years old. That’s when the lad was taken advantage of by a person of authority, namely, his soccer coach, Angela Sider, who was 42 at the time.

Sider pursued an inappropriate sexual relationship with Ferrari’s son; allegedly there are other victims (of note: no one else from the soccer team has come forward and none of those allegations have been proven in a court of law.)

At one point, Ferrari’s son was even residing at Sider’s house for several months. And during this timeframe, Sider was able to manipulate the system. For example, she was able to get a psychiatrist to put Ferrari’s son on several unneeded medications.

Sider was also somehow able to transfer Ferrari’s son to a different school, even though she was not a relative. In this regard, Donna Ferrari feels she was not only going up against a manipulative woman these past six years, but also a system that was seemingly complicit in doing Sider’s bidding.

When Ferrari was finally able to get her son back into the family home, Sider continued to stalk the boy and communicate with him – even though by this time, Ferrari’s son wanted nothing to do with Sider.

At this point, the Waterloo Regional Police Service got involved. The police eventually charged Sider with two counts: sexual offence of a minor from a person of authority as well as sexual exploitation.

In early February in a Kitchener, Ont. courtroom, a plea deal was reached. Sider pleaded guilty to sexual offence of a minor from a person of authority; the charge of sexual exploitation was dropped.

Sider was sentenced to two years of house arrest. She also must wear an ankle monitor, and her name will be on the sex offender registry for the next 20 years. As previously noted, the publication ban is no longer in effect.

Still, the question arises: does the sentence fit the crime? For example, if the gender roles were reversed – i.e., if a 42-year-old male soccer coach was sexually taking advantage of a teenage girl – would the severity of the sentence be different? At least the perpetrator can be named now. And if anything, this incredible case serves as a cautionary tale for other parents: namely, always be wary of those adults entrusted with your child’s welfare. Granted, the vast majority of people are good and well-intentioned. But there are predators out there always on the lookout for an opportunity in which to strike.

In the final analysis, the emotional trauma the Ferrari family endured thanks to Sider’s actions cannot be overstated. Indeed, check out the victim impact statement Donna Ferrari read in court:

“Today is about holding Angela accountable for her actions, however as a mother no amount of sentencing will be enough for the physical and psychological damage Angela caused not only to [my son] but to our whole family.

“From the day [my son] left home and the nine months that followed I was grieving the loss of a child. After [my son] was able to escape and return home, it’s been heartbreaking to watch the emotional scaring that had been caused to a once Honour Roll, vibrant, happy, wore his heart on his sleeve kid, to someone that wanted to be left alone and isolated himself.

“Words can’t describe the first day I sat in the courtroom to hear the charges read, as my body froze, I felt sick to my stomach and just cried as I left the courthouse as nothing can prepared you to hear the word ‘sexual exploitation.’ My heart was once again ripped from knowing the trauma my son went through.

“There are challenges we’ve faced in coping with the aftermath of these events that will stick with me forever as no parent wants to hear ‘there were several bad nights’ or ‘you don’t want to know what I had to live through.’

However, the only thing that I could do as a mother is to continue advocating for change to protect our children.

For [my son] I am proud of the strength he has shown to seek justice. His determination to not let this define who he is as a person is remarkable. Today this chapter will close, as my son continues his healing process.”