Man denies raping wife after years of alleged abuse

The 43-year-old man, who cannot be identified to protect the complainant's identity, is facing 12 counts of rape, two counts of common law assault and one count of making a threat to inflict serious injury.

The 15 offences allegedly arose out of five different incidents at the couple's family home occurring from January 2011 to September 2015.

The man, a former White Ribbon ambassador, is strongly denying the allegations.

The Crown prosecutor told the jury the man and the complainant had been married for 13 years and had children before they separated in March 2016.

In the same year, the complainant reported the allegations to the police and the man was arrested in 2017.

The prosecutor said from the start of the couple's relationship in 2000, the accused engaged in controlling behaviours over the complainant and was very rough during sex.

He said in or about 2011, the accused pressured his wife to have sex with another man which led to other sexual meetings with men and some were videoed or live streamed for the accused to watch.

Police allege the first incident of rape occurred in January, 2011, after the accused returned home drunk from a birthday celebration.

"The accused grabbed her head, pushed down, and placed his hands around her throat choking her to the point of passing out," the prosecutor said.

"The complainant eventually came to with the accused penetrating her vagina with his penis."

He said another incident occurred in April, 2011, when the accused urinated on the complainant and called her derogatory names after she had had sex with another man, with the accused's approval.

"The accused stated that the complainant was now his whore and he could punish her if she did not do as she was told," the prosecutor said.

He said the accused then raped the complainant three times in the bathroom.

The prosecutor said in April 2015, the couple had an argument and the complainant went to bed while the accused left the house.

He said when the accused returned home, his wife was pretending to be asleep when he pulled her underwear off and raped her while verbally abusing her.

Police allege in September 2015, the accused held a .303 rifle longarm while verbally abusing his wife.

The accused allegedly chambered a bullet in the rifle but ejected it and told her she wasn't worth the bullet and threw it at her.

The man allegedly told the complainant he was going to smash her f***ing head in and put her in ICU as he was going to end it all and it was worth it.

Later that night, the complainant was in bed pretending to be asleep when the accused allegedly raped her three times while verbally abusing her.

"The complainant was too scared to say anything and continued to pretend to be asleep," the prosecutor said.

Defence barrister Christopher Pearson told the jury the accused man and his wife had an unusual open sexual relationship, it was a sexually charged relationship and they used offensive language.

"What is fundamental about the defence position is he (the accused) never, at any stage in the relationship, got her to do things she didn't want to," Mr Pearson said.

He said the complainant was untruthful and a liar.

Mr Pearson said his client was not made aware of the allegations until eight years after the incident.

"(The accused) has never forced (the complainant) into any form of sexual activity," he said.

"If they had sex together, it was entirely consensual. That's the defence position."

Mr Pearson urged the 12-person jury to keep an open mind throughout the trial.

The complainant started giving her evidence on Thursday in a closed court. The trial will continue on Friday before Judge Frank Gucciardo.

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