The man – who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the woman – is on trial in the Launceston Supreme Court this week.

It is alleged the man raped the woman twice late on the night of March 19, or in the early hours of March 20 last year.

Prosecution has also alleged the man indecently assaulted the woman on the same evening as the alleged rapes.

He has also been charged with one count of aggravated sexual assault stemming from the same date.

The man has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Giving evidence on Monday afternoon, the man’s estranged ex-partner said she confronted him in early 2015 after noticing strange behaviour.

“I decided to check his phone and his internet history,” she said. “Pulling up on the side of the road and masturbating. That’s not a normal problem.”

She said after confronting her ex-partner he confessed to his porn habits and to seeking the services of sex workers throughout their 10-year relationship.

“He was having sex with females. But also transexuals, or as he said ‘shemales’ and ‘ladyboys’,” the woman said.

“He said he had used protection, but that offered no reassurance for me knowing this had gone on a long time.”

The woman said the confrontation between the pair – which occurred just months before the alleged rapes – saw the man confess everything, including how he paid for sex “hundreds of times”.

Days later, in a text message exchange between them, the defendant wrote: “There’s been a couple of man ladies. I’m not gay.”

In the dock, the man sat dressed in dark coloured jeans and a charcoal button-up shirt with his head hung.

His lawyer Mark Doyle said the alleged rapes were actually acts of consensual sex, which occurred after the pair had discussed intimacy.

“Sometimes words can mean the exact opposite,” Mr Doyle said.

“We don’t just use words to communicate. We use body language.”

The trial continues.