X Factor finalist, Anthony Russell, caught the famous imprisoned criminal FaceTiming

X Factor's finalist, Anthony Russell, was caught videotaping with a prisoner who was using a cell phone smuggled behind bars.

Anthony, 28, was in ITV Studios when he spoke to Facevime about Michael Trevillion, who then posted a screenshot on Facebook.

The shift, once dubbed "the most sought after Merseyside," was sentenced to four years of burglary.

Trevillion, 38, seems to be using an account under the name of John Smith.

He also wrote in an October 14 update: "I just chatted with my colleague Anthony Russell and [sic] he has the X Factor bad "

A source said, "He created a Facebook profile under a false name so he could use it in jail. He is a well-known burglar in Bootle. "

The source said that Anthony, from Liverpool, knew Trevillion at parties.

The source added: "Everyone knows everyone here."

But a source close to Anthony insisted that he did not know who Trevillion was.

The source said, "This guy called unexpectedly via Facebook Messenger and Anthony responded. Anthony did not know that he was in prison with an illegal phone. "

The John Smith account, which opened in September, contains photos of Trevillion in his cell and on the place of detention of a prison.

The Department of Justice was contacted for comments last night.

Anthony joins Dalton Harris and Scarlett Lee in the X Factor Finals at SSE Arena in Wembley this weekend.

He was in competition last year but retired because of an addiction.

Judge Louis Tomlinson "rescued" him by organizing an intervention. Anthony said, "I would be dead now if it was not for him.

Anthony is also excused after bombarding a 28-year-old mother with X-rated texts, pictures and videos during her last stint in the series.

He said, "I'm sorry if I hurt her or if I caused any offense."

A spokesman for the prison service said: "Anyone who behaves in this way can expect to spend much more time behind bars.

"We have invested £ 2 million to detect and block mobile phones in order to avoid their use in the first place."