A man accused of raping his ex-partner at gunpoint told gardaí he drove to her Clare home so he could 'cuddle' her and show her how upset he was by putting the weapon in his mouth.

A Clare woman has denied under cross-examination that she had consensual sex with her ex-partner the night he allegedly raped her at gunpoint.

The trial has begun of a Clare man accused of subjecting his pregnant ex-girlfriend to a seven-hour ordeal during which he allegedly raped her in various ways and threatened to shoot her.