Two women armed with an axe and a car security lock barged into a mother's home and beat her up as a child watched, York Crown Court heard.

Victim Esther Baker's suffered injuries to her head, shoulder and leg in the "reprisal" attack by axewoman Kelly Duce, 23, and her accomplice, said Colin Burn, prosecuting.

Today, Duce is starting three years in jail. She has also given police the name of her alleged accomplice, a relative she persuaded to join in the attack and said she will give evidence against her.

"You plainly were the prime mover in this," Judge Paul Hoffman told Duce. "You took it upon yourself to avenge your cousin.

"It would seem you did this by recruiting another person. Both of you armed yourself, you with an axe and the other person with a crook lock.

"You barged into the victim's house. She was then in the presence of her son quite mercilessly beaten and kicked.

"You inflicted between you significant injuries. This was undoubtedly a joint reprisal attack."

Duce, of Barkston Grove, Chapelfields, York, pleaded guilty to burglary aggravated by inflicting grievous bodily harm when carrying an offensive weapon.

Mr Burn said Ms Baker's relationship with Duce's cousin had broken down some time before the attack in April 2000.

She was at home in Foxwood, York, with her children and a babysitter when the attackers knocked on the door.

The security lock wielder used her weapon several times and Duce used her axe on the victim once.

As she left she used it again to smash a door window.

For Duce, Geraldine Kelly said she had behaved out of character and could hardly recognise the person she had been then.

The two attackers had gone to scare Ms Baker because she had attacked Duce's cousin, a man in his twenties, the barrister added.

As soon as Duce saw the child watching, she stopped the attack on Ms Baker which had got out of hand.

Duce had been frank with police, had named her accomplice and was willing to give evidence against her, knowing the risk of reprisals against herself.