An Albanian murderer is broadcasting live videos from his UK prison cell on TikTok, in which he flirts with women and plays online games with criminals in other prisons.

Eugert Merizaj, sentenced to 32 years in prison for his role in the brutal shooting death of a drug rival, is receiving virtual ‘gifts’ donated to him via TikTok by admirers, which he can exchange for cash.

Despite the ban on cellphones in prison, Merizaj, 32, has been broadcasting five-minute live chats continuously every day for the past few weeks.

In a startling breach of security, he boasted that his phone was dropped into his Manchester prison by drone and that he hides it inside a toilet.

Merizaj, whose victim suffered head injuries, boasted last Monday that if his phone was discovered by prison officers he would simply ‘buy another one’. He claimed it is the third phone he has used in prison, each costing him £2,000.

Merizaj, who has been using TikTok undetected from his cell for about a month, has also played matches against a TikTok account, which according to sources was used by another Albanian murderer serving a life sentence in Greece.

TikTok said it had taken action against the account and that it relies on prison staff and police to identify and report accounts used in prison.

The Prison Service said: “Phones are not tolerated in prisons and those who break the rules face tough penalties – including extra time behind bars.

“We are working with TikTok to remove these videos and our £100m investment in airport-style security has helped stop over 28,000 attempts to smuggle drugs, phones and weapons into prisons since last October.”