Trinidad and Tobago is presumed to be a safer place today after 24-year-old mother of three, Michelle Cudjoe, was jailed for seven months for snatching a women’s purse, which including a cell phone and cash.
Cudjoe pleaded with San Fernando Magistrate Indra Ramoo-Haynes for mercy and claimed she was desperate to feed her children and there would be no one else to look after them if she was incarcerated.

White-collar criminals? Not so much.
Ramoo-Haynes gave Cudjoe a seven month sentence regardless due to the seriousness of the crime and the scare given to the violated victim.
Mr Live Wire can confirm that the woman’s purse did not have billions of ill-gotten gains from airport contracts, millions due to the 2006 World Cup players or even a US$750,000 donation for earthquake-stricken Haiti.
Cudjoe, in other words, had no justification for stupidly resorting to a blue-collar crime with so many plentiful prospects for white-collared “opportunism.”

Famous United States bard Bob Dylan once sang: “Steal a little and they throw you in jail; steal a lot and they make you king.”
The Trinbagonian version might be: “… steal a lot and they will keep a Cabinet seat warm for you or your henchmen.”
Mr. Live Wire is an avid news reader who translates media reports for persons who can handle the truth. And satire. Unlike Jack Nicholson, he rarely yells.
It’s a sad state of affairs for the mother and her children but sadder yet is the current state of affairs regarding convicted criminals being given high political office. I mean the Soca Warriors are still awaiting payment, aren’t they? Did Jack’s constituents forget to ask him about that? Did his current party supporters forget to too?
The Soca Warriors got their first payment from the TTFA although not from the original money put aside for them and which the football said Jack Warner had under its control. As of now, the TTFA has shown no enthusiasm for ever going after its missing money.
Asshole! (Not you, Lasana, the magistrate!)
Seriously though. This country creates criminals. Who is going to care for the children while the mother is locked up? Hopefully they don’t turn to stealing themselves! Maybe some kind of community service or something would have been appropriate but 7 months for snatching a purse out of desperation? They’re going to lock up this woman with a bunch of hardened criminals? Steupes.