MEMBERS of the public intervened to stop a brawl between two women outside Tesco supermarket in Dunmow, a court heard on Tuesday. The incident happened after Amanda Figg ignored police advice to stay away from Cindy Blizzard who had made a complaint again

MEMBERS of the public intervened to stop a brawl between two women outside Tesco supermarket in Dunmow, a court heard on Tuesday.

The incident happened after Amanda Figg ignored police advice to stay away from Cindy Blizzard who had made a complaint against her daughter.

Figg, 44, of Grove Villas, Great Saling, pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday to a charge of taking revenge and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment.

Marcus Croskell, prosecuting, said the incident happened during the early evening of March 3 last year. Earlier that day Figg had been visited by police in relation to her own daughter being investigated for an alleged offence.

The defendant said she was going to go and 'sort it out' but she was warned not to. Despite this she went looking for Mrs Blizzard and found her at Tesco.

Mrs Blizzard had just been shopping when a vehicle pulled up beside her. There was a verbal altercation between the two women which became aggressive.

There was a struggle in which Mrs Blizzard was grabbed by the neck and received 'a backhander' in the face from Figg. The defendant also sustained injuries during the scuffle.

Figg tried to punch Mrs Blizzard again but missed and hit the car window and the incident ended when members of the public intervened and separated them.

Nicola May, mitigating, said the backdrop to the incident was 'a falling out' between the complainant's and defendant's daughters, which had been going on for some time.

Both parents had spoken to each other on many occasions without there being any difficulty or any aggression.

On this occasion Figg acted out of character and it was 'a one off incident', said Miss May. "She is very remorseful and accepts her behaviour was not acceptable. She wants to put this whole episode behind her. She feels she has let herself down."

Recorder Miss Ingrid Simler Q.C. told Figg: "Shortly before this incident you were told by police not to have anything to do with Mrs Blizzard who made a complaint about your daughter which the police were then investigating.

"You ignored this warning and went out in search of Mrs Blizzard and found her at Tesco.

"From the beginning you were the aggressor in this physical confrontation,

although I accept that in the course of the confrontation you also were injured in retaliation by Mrs Blizzard."

Miss Simler added: "Offences of this kind are very serious. Witnesses and those who assist police in an investigation cannot be allowed to be pressured or intimidated." She said she was imposing an immediate custodial sentence "to mark the gravity of the offence and deter others