A four-year-old girl punched so hard in the stomach she nearly died had a convicted robber for a father and had been exposed to drugs, but nothing could have predicted the harm that came to her, a new report has revealed.

The girl from Tooting, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was the subject of a multi-agency review after her mother’s ex-boyfriend hit her so hard in the stomach he nearly killed her.

The girl, named Zara in the report, was admitted to St George’s Hospital in March last year and had to be operated on for several hours.

A serious case review [SCR], an investigation by an independent board, revealed the child and her mother had been in contact with social services throughout her life.

The report revealed Zara’s mother ‘Rebecca’ went to a private boarding school but was forced to leave when her family hit financial troubles - a decision Rebecca resented because her older brother was allowed to remain.

Rebecca told the board about a frightening sense of "survival of the fittest" at her new school and coping with the change by "lowering her standards of conduct to that of the worst around her".

She fell pregnant with Zara at the age of 16, to a man who is now serving a long prison sentence for violent high-profile crimes. He was also a convicted drug-dealer and crack cocaine user.

One GP described Rebecca as "vulnerable", "naïve as to what pregnancy is going to entail" and "in need of a lot of support". She was also living in a hostel. Later in the report her aunt describes her getting involved in the "wrong crowd".

The report said: "It seems likely that mother’s intelligence and an unusually good standard of education provided her with a level of confidence and articulacy which she applied to denying and diverting attention from a significant level of personal need."

In 2011 a drugs raid took place at her ex-boyfriend’s home, where Rebecca was found in bed with him and a large quantity of drugs were found, a lock knife and police found Zara was within easy reach of a wrap of cocaine in her bedroom.

The SCR noted a number of missed opportunities, including Rebecca’s gang-related fears remaining unexplored and unchallenged and Zara’s exposure to class A drugs and a weapon meriting a more significant multi-agency response.

The review concluded: "It was predictable that this vulnerable young woman could become involved in relationships with other men involved in antisocial and/or criminal conduct. However, her visible care of Zara remained adequate.

"The assault on Zara by an individual could not therefore have been predicted by those professionals who had contact with mother and daughter, nor is it clear that any action that might reasonably have been predicted by a local professional could have served to prevent what appears to be a spontaneous event."

Recommendations were made to Wandsworth Housing, which must organise refresher safeguarding training for all staff to include the implications of gangs.

The mother’s ex-boyfriend was found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent on October 24. He is due to be sentenced this Friday.