A South Oxhey woman has been found not guilty of carrying out a vicious knife attack on another woman.

Michelle Hall was cleared of all the charges she faced after telling St Albans Crown Court she had taken the Stanley type craft knife out of her bag to protect herself as the other woman reigned blow after blow on her.

Ms Hall said at one point as she was being attacked she feared she would never get out of the Nisa store again and see her children.

She said she waved the knife about in an attempt to ward the other woman away from her and never intended to inflict any wounds.

Rebecca Beeton was left with multiple cut wounds to her body and arms after the attack at the store in South Oxhey in August 2014.

Michelle Hall, 50, pleaded not guilt to wounding with intent, an alternative charge of unlawful wounding and carrying a bladed article.

She told the jury she had the knife in her bag with her that day because she had been lent it by a friend and was taking it back to her home in Gosforth Lane, South Oxhey to use for cutting carpet.

The jury has heard how bad feeling between the two women erupted into violence on the afternoon of Saturday, August 16 2014.

"Miss Beeton came round to where I was standing and grabbed hold of me. She was screaming and swearing. She had hold of me and kept raining punches down on me and stamping on me. I felt continual blows. I was shouting for someone to phone the police and to help me. I just wanted it to stop," she told the court.

Ms Hall said that when the blows stopped, she realised she was in a different section of the store.

She said she suffered from angina and was scared because she was experiencing chest pains. She said she ran further back into the store to "get away" and, as she did so, her phone and car keys fell out of her bag and she saw the Stanley knife there.

Continuing with her evidence, she said she didn't remember taking it out of the bag, but there came a point when she was holding it in her hand.

"I started waving it about. Rebecca Beeton was there just in front of me," she told the jury.

Ms Hall said she took hold of the knife to keep the other woman "away from me," telling the jury "I thought she would come for me again. I was waving it, thinking it would keep her back.

But she said the other woman managed to grab hold of her arms and, as the struggle continued, she realised she was bleeding from her own wrist.

"There was a lot of blood coming from my wrist," she told the court.

Ms Hall said she managed to get out of the store and made her way to her car which was nearby and sat inside it.

She said she went to stay with her aunt that night and stayed there the next day.

On the Monday she said she went to the police station and went back to be interviewed on August 26.

Charles Judge defending asked her "Did you use that knife in any way for revenge or retaliation?"

She replied "No, not at all."

Mr Judge: "Did you use it to cause wounds to Miss Beeton, deliberately intending to cause her serious harm?"

She answered "No."

The barrister then asked her "Did you use it for any other reason other than to try and keep her away from you?"

Ms Hall replied "No."

The jury acquitted her of all the charges and she left court.