A man accused of raping his estranged wife told a jury that after slapping her to the floor they had consensual passionate sex - twice.

The 34-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has denied seriously sexually assaulting the woman and causing her grievous bodily harm on March 12 last year.

Crown counsels Vinette Graham-Allen and Cindy Clark have alleged during the course of the trial that the man threatened the woman with a knife, punched her in the head repeatedly, and then sexually assaulted her after she told him that a trip she was planning to New York was none of his business.

The man told the Supreme Court jury, he was sorry for hitting her, but she had made him angry and he "freaked" out.

He said that he had found e-mails, which suggested that she was going to see a man that she had met through an Internet dating service and it was not to see her brother, as she had claimed.

"I was mad that she had lied to me about going to New York, she had told me that she was going to see her brother who was in the hospital, when in fact she was going to meet a man that she had just met on an Internet dating service," said the accused.

"I was afraid that she would put my boys lives in danger, by taking them with her and when she told me that the safety of my boys was none of my business - I freaked out and slapped her.

"After I hit her - she was screaming, I helped her to her feet and she stood over by the stove and I stood near the refrigerator and I told her that I was really sorry for slapping her. I had never slapped her before, it was not normal for me to slap her."

The five woman seven man jury heard that they made their way into the living room where the conversation continued.

He said: "I told her that I had left her everything in the house, including the car so that she could take care of my sons."

He told the court that he still cared for her because she was the mother of his two children.

His lawyer Mark Pettingill, asked if he still found her physically attractive to which, he said: "She was the woman I had been married to for seven years - I had my own life. We looked at each other and we were calmer, but still upset that it had reached that point.

"I just walked over to her and held out my arms to her and she held out her arms to hug me, because I said I was sorry."

The man told the court that they after the 28-year-old mother had squeezed him during the hug, they then became passionate and kissed.

Describing his marriage as "adventuresome" the man said they kissed "passionately" before getting undressed and walking hand in hand to her bedroom.

Mr. Pettingill asked if at this point he had a black handle knife in his hand, to which the defendant said: "I didn't do that."

The accused claimed his wife masturbated for some time - while he watched - and that he later kissed her all over before performing oral sex.

He said that she enjoyed the intercourse because she had thrust her hips towards him and that she also performed oral sex on him and that she was "moaning" and that she was very vocal and physical.

He further claimed there was another session a short time later.

After sex, they had laid together until they began getting cold, then they put their clothes back on and went back to the living room for tea.

He told the court that they had talked and she was "fine" until she realised that he was returning to the woman he was living with.

He said: "I telephoned her from the pay phone on Watford Bridge and she was fine. The next thing I knew I was being arrested."

The court heard in evidence given by Det. Dave Bird that the knife was never examined for fingerprints during the investigation.

The man will continue to give evidence today before Assistant Justice Charles-Etta Simmons.