The accused serial sex offender says he can no longer keep track of his prison stints over the years.

“I have no memory of time. I am just in prison,” he told Brisbane District Court.

However Garland – who described himself as a “lifer” – said he could remember what happened at a central Queensland jail about 10 years ago after being accused of sexual offences by three men.

Flanked by four Corrective Services officers, Garland denied that he raped the fellow inmates at Capricornia Correctional Centre at his judge-only trial.

One of the men claimed Garland knocked him out in a prison toilet before waking up later with his pants around his ankles in early 2013.

Giving evidence in leg irons, Garland said he had no meaningful interaction with the man at the jail because the inmate had a reputation for being a “snitch”.

“I avoided him at all costs,” he said.

Asked why he was worried about the man being a snitch, Garland said: “To be quite honest I was involved in other stuff that would probably get me in trouble with the authorities … there were instances of drug taking.”

Another inmate accused Garland of raping him in a prison toilet in March 2014.

Garland said he had consensual, pre-arranged sexual contact with the man.

“He was a willing participant. He was more than willing, he was quite keen,” he said.

Overall they had sex three or four times in the toilets, Garland told the court.

A third inmate alleged Garland overpowered then raped him in the prison toilet twice in the space of a week in August 2014.

Garland said he had traded sex for protection with the man.

He said the man was concerned because he was in prison for having sex with a minor.

“He was copping quite a bit of flak (from inmates) for that,” Garland told the court on Friday.

“He wanted someone to look after him. I implied that nothing was free in life – what’s in it for me?”

Garland said the man was a “bit iffy” at first but in the end agreed to have sex in the toilet in exchange for protection.

Asked about the arrangement, Garland said: “I would have fought for him. I would have said to the guy ‘leave him alone’.”

They had about four consensual encounters in the toilet, he said.

“He seemed to enjoy it,” Garland said.

Garland told the court he had lived on the streets when he was aged nine or 10 and had rarely been out of jail during his lifetime.

“Since the age of 11 to the age of 52 I have spent 18 months out of institutions,” he said.

Garland has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and one of assault with intent to rape.

The trial before Judge John Allen continues.