Bowen Hills man Bryce Marchant pleads not guilty to a charge of rape of a woman at Lismore

A Brisbane man accused raping a woman in East Lismore appeared calm and composed when he faced a jury on day one of his trial, arguing the sex was consensual. See the latest.

Bryce Marchant in Lismore for trial.

A Brisbane man accused raping a woman in East Lismore has fronted court for the first day of his trial.

Bryce Marchant, 23, sat in the dock at Lismore District Court on Monday as a jury of 12 was gathered. He has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of sexual intercourse without consent, knowing she was not consenting.

Prosecutor David Morters said the Crown alleges that Mr Marchant forced himself onto a woman and raped her in East Lismore on June 25, 2020.

Defence barrister Cara Feiner will argue the sexual intercourse was consensual.

Bryce Marchant, 23, at Lismore for trial. He was accused of raping a woman in East Lismore in June 2020. He has pleaded not guilty.

Mr Morters told the court the complainant and the Bowen Hills man had been involved in two consensual sexual encounters in 2020.

The rape charge relates to an incident when Mr Marchant allegedly forced himself onto the complainant when she told him she was too tired to have sexual intercourse.

She will claim she felt pressured to perform oral sex on Mr Marchant to stop his advances.

He then allegedly “pushed her onto her back” on a bed and told her that it was “too much for him” before having “penile vaginal sex with her”, Mr Morters told the jury.

Bryce Marchant, 23, at Lismore for trial. He was accused of raping a woman in East Lismore in June 2020. He has pleaded not guilty.

“He left the premises fairly abruptly after that.”

The complainant met with Mr Marchant a few days later and they spent the day at the beach before having consensual sexual intercourse.

Mr Morters said the complainant would give evidence she had sexual intercourse with Mr Marchant days after the alleged rape to try and “put out of her mind” what had happened.

The relationship subsequently deteriorated and they broke up.

On July 4, 2020 the complainant made a police statement after confiding in a friend about the alleged rape.

Rape accused Bryce Marchant of Bowen Hills.

As part of the investigation, police organised for the complainant to discuss the incident with Mr Marchant on the phone, which was recorded.

The accused “admitted” a memory of a night to her, but denied remembering events in the way she described them, Mr Morters told the court.

“He told her on repeated occasions he was sorry she felt the way she felt about what happened on that evening,” he said.

Mr Marchant said on the recording it was “not who I am” in relation to the alleged rape.

Ms Feiner told the jury in her opening statement that Mr Marchant’s expressions of regret over the complainant’s distress was not an admission of guilt.

“What happened on that occasion is very much in dispute,” she said.

“It’s the defence case that the sexual intercourse on that day was consensual.”

The trial is expected to span five days.