A mother has been sentenced to life in prison for the rape of her 12-year-old daughter.

Jeanie Mae Carpenter, 37, from Ohio, plead guilty to helping her boyfriend James John Kirksey, already a registered sex offender, rape the girl.

A Belmont County court heard how Carpenter held down her daughter as the 32-year-old man raped the girl on multiple occasions, local media reported.

James John Kirksey, 32, was sentenced to two life terms in prison (Belmont County Police)

It is unclear how many times the child was raped, or when the sexual abuse began.

Prosecutor Dan Dry said: "She reported it to a relative that mom’s boyfriend had been abusing her for the last two weeks.

"Multiple counts of rape committed by the male, and at least one incident of rape where the mom of the child actually physically held the child down to assist this male."

Carpenter was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to one count of complicity to commit rape, two counts of permitting child abuse, one count of endangering children and one count of obstructing official business.

She will be eligible for parole in 20 years, and will have to register as a Tier 3 sec offender every 90 days - for the rest of her life.

In November, James John Kirksey was sentenced to two life terms in prison by the same judge.

Sentencing, Judge Frank Fregiato called the case a "crime against nature".