A man accused of raping his neighbour three times in 1995 has told a jury he thought the age of consent was 16.
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The 51-year-old Northern Tasmanian man has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape and one count of perverting the course of justice.
While giving evidence on Tuesday, the man told a Launceston Supreme Court jury he first had sex with the teenager two weeks after her 16th birthday.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and his family lived next door to the girl's family at the time of the alleged offending, the court heard.
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The man said the teenager was very flirty with him from the age of 14 or 15, but he wasn't concerned about her behaviour.
Crown prosecutor John Ransom asked the man if he waited until the girl turned 16 so he could have sex with her, but the man said no.
The alleged victim spent a weekend with the man's family at their new house between January and March in 1995, the court heard.
It was alleged the woman was raped three times over the weekend, with the man forcing her to have sex with him after they went shooting together and in a bedroom, as well as forcing her to perform oral sex on him.
The man told the jury they did have sexual intercourse on all three occasions, but it was not forced.
The court heard there was no discussion about consent before each act, but the man said he was reading the girl's body language.
The man said that weekend was the last time the man and teenager had sexual contact because other people found out about the nature of their relationship.
The man's heavily pregnant wife called a meeting with his parents after she found out about the affair, the court heard.
The man said he apologised to his wife and spoke to his parents about how to deal with the situation.
About seven years ago the man called his alleged victim to ask how her sick mother was, the court heard.
The trial before Justice Michael Brett continues.