Prison escapee caught after bashing elderly man with hammer

A prisoner on the run from a NSW jail has bashed an elderly man with a hammer after breaking into his home north of Brisbane.

The escapee viciously assaulted the 71-year-old and his wife after forcing his way inside their Clontarf home yesterday afternoon.

He then stole property from the couple and fled in their car, but detectives arrested him after tracking the vehicle to nearby Kippa Ring.

The 35-year-old had escaped on Friday from a minimum-security prison near Kempsey on the NSW mid-north coast.

He will appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court, on charges including armed robbery, burglary, assault occasioning bodily harm, wilful damage, and drug possession.

The elderly man suffered leg and chest injuries in the attack, but police said they were not serious.