Two football thugs have been banned from their club for life after making vile sexual chants about a three-year-old girl.

The Crawley Town fans were already serving football banning orders for previous offences, including making fun of the Munich air disaster on a YouTube video.

Matthew Butler, 38, of Hawkins Road, Crawley, and James Butler, 20, of Beeches Crescent, Crawley, were sentenced at Hastings Crown Court on Tuesday over chants directed at Sergeant Darren Taylor’s daughter.

Sgt Taylor, Sussex Police’s football liaison officer for Crawley, said no father should ever be subjected to such abuse.

He said: “As a police officer you expect to get some abuse and you develop a thick skin towards it. But when someone is actually threatening to sexually assault your three-year-old daughter it goes totally beyond what anyone should have to put up with.

“Crawley have said these two will never be allowed to home games ever again and I’m glad to hear that. These idiots don’t belong in a football stadium.”

The incident happened at the Eastbourne Borough and Crawley Town match on March 22.

James Butler was sentenced to ten weeks in jail and given an eight-year ban, while Matthew Butler was given a 12-week jail sentence suspended for 18 months, had a year added to his four-year ban and was ordered to pay £500 costs.

Ross Mitchell, 19, of Fernhurst Close, Crawley, was found not guilty of the same charge.

The two Butlers, who are not related, have already become infamous within the club.

James Butler was found guilty of a public order offence in March after he mimicked the 1958 Manchester United team plane crash during a YouTube video before the two sides’ FA Cup clash.

In May Matthew Butler was identified by CCTV at the centre of a brawl between Crawley fans and supporters of Newport County