More details have emerged about the bizarre case of the prisoner who managed to avoid authorities for a month after escaping from Lotus Glen jail on a red tractor during a court case this week.

Michael Graeme Rennie, 44, actually became eligible for parole in April, 2025, but escaped two months later on June 1 after not being immediately released - his full sentence was due to run to mid 2028.

He then holed up in a remote camp in Cow Bay across the Daintree River for a month without committing any further crimes.

A late-night police raid led to Rennie’s arrest without incident, and he soon told them where the tractor was hidden.

During a hearing at Cairns District Court this week, Rennie pleaded guilty to escaping lawful custody and the unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

Judge Dean Morzone extended his sentence by 10 months after the new convictions, but he is still eligible to apply for parole immediately.

Rennie was originally serving a six-year sentence at Lotus Glen Correctional Centre near Mareeba for a range of offences involving assault, theft, drugs, traffic offences and weapons.

Described as 174cm tall, 56kg, lightly built, with a fair complexion, fair hair and blue eyes, he has a number of distinctive markings on his body including multiple dog bites and scars on his left arm. He also has a range of tattoos including a gun on his left shoulder, a dragon and skull on his right shoulder and a clown with a gun on his left ribs.