County Court judge Duncan Allen recently jailed the woman after the case was moved from Warrnambool to Melbourne.

The young woman pleaded guilty to two charges: recklessly causing serious injury and incest.

It is understood that Judge Allen considered imposing a minimal term of imprisonment, followed by a corrections order, but this was vigorously opposed by the prosecution due to mandatory sentencing requirements for incest charges.

She was jailed for four years with a minimum of one year to serve before being eligible for parole.

The leniency of that sentence in the high-end abuse case has prompted the DPP review.

The Standard reported in December 2017 that the woman had been charged with serious sex offences in relation to the abuse of a child.

Detectives from the Warrnambool Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team arrested the woman in Warrnambool following an incident in October 2017.

Police at that time said a girl was taken to Warrnambool Base Hospital with a range of serious injuries before being transported to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne where she spent a number of weeks recovering.

She was treated for injuries including a lacerated liver, spinal fracture and extensive bruising, before being released from hospital and reported to be recovering well.

The liver laceration was described as potentially life-threatening and usually associated with car accidents.

The woman was arrested, interviewed and initially charged with six offences, including single counts of perjury, intentionally causing injury and recklessly causing serious injury and three counts of intentional sexual penetration.

She appeared in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court on December 4, 2017, and did not apply for bail.

A full suppression order on the case was imposed by Judge Allen on November 11 this year relating to any information concerning the case.

That order was then lifted on November 18 and replaced with an order suppressing the publication of any material which contained any particulars likely to lead to the identification of the offender.

The reason for the order was that it was necessary to protect the woman's safety while in prison.

The Standard made a number of requests for access to the judge's sentencing remarks but last Friday Judge Allen decided he would not be publishing his sentencing reasons due to the suppression order.

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.