A STAR of TV reality show Scrappers jailed after badly injuring a pensioner in a 60 mph horror crash has apparently been taking to social media putting up smiling pictures of himself wishing friends a merry Christmas.

Lewis O'Boyle has seemingly posted pictures, including one of him posing next to his prison bunk on Facebook, and a message boasting he is "living nice" in prison.

Those who have seen the pictures on O'Boyle's open Facebook page ­have reacted angrily slamming his actions as "unacceptable".

One told The Bolton News: "This idiot is in jail posting photos on social media in a prison cell and as far as we are aware this is not acceptable."

O'Boyle, whose Facebook account is under the name Boyle Lewis, started posting on Facebook in September asking for numbers and replying to friends.

On December 24 it seems as if he posted a colourful post with the words: "Merry Christmas hope you all enjoy and hope Santa brings you all what you want X"

Responses included "Have a gudden mate" to which O'Boyle has apparently put: "Ha I'm banged up all day but I'm living nice.”

It also appears as if the prisoner, from Bolton, has been Facetiming from prison, with a message "Merry Christmas you filthy animal and a happy new year haha see you soon bro" above a screenshot of him Facetiming with someone.

Lewis O'Boyle became known to viewers as a "lovable rogue", but Bolton Crown Court heard how he took cocaine and ploughed through a red light at speed into 79-year-old James Crowder's car.

He was sentenced to 27 months in prison in July.

O'Boyle, of Shackerley Road, Atherton, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving while banned, failing to stop after an accident and having no insurance.

Mr Crowder was turning right in his Vauxhall Astra from Bentley Street into Bolton Road, Farnworth, just before noon on April 10.

But O'Boyle, who was driving a friend's VW Golf along Bolton Road towards Farnworth, shot through the junction more than five seconds after the traffic light had turned to red and struck the Astra at 60mph, sending it spinning.

Mr Crowder suffered extensive fractures to his skull, a broken sternum and rib and a bleed on the brain.

He spent 13 days in hospital during which he also contracted pneumonia and, having cared for himself, now suffers dizziness, memory problems and is unable to leave his home on his own.

After the crash on the road, which has a 30mph speed restriction, O'Boyle and his passenger ran off before he was persuaded to hand himself into police four hours later.

After The Bolton News contacted the Ministry of Justice, the O'Boyle's Facebook page was not available.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Anyone found behaving this way can expect to spend significantly longer behind bars.

“We have invested £2 million to detect and block mobile phones to prevent them being used in the first place.”

Hundreds of social media accounts were shut down in 2017 after it was discovered they were being run by prisoners using illegally obtained mobile phones in jail, The Guardian newspaper discovered.

The number of social media accounts deleted or deactivated because they were being updated from behind bars tripled from 152 in 2015 to 527 in 2017, according to a freedom of information request by the national paper.