A SERIAL Queensland sexual predator with a history of luring young women onto a yacht says he’s forgiven his victims “in his heart” as he tries to overturn three rape convictions.

John Collins appeared in the Queensland Court of Appeal on Wednesday in a bid to clear convictions for raping three different women in the 1980s and early 2000s.

He was found guilty of the offences — which took place at the Gold Coast, Hamilton Island and Kawana — in three separate trials in 2014 and 2015.

Representing himself for part of Wednesday’s hearing, the 77-year-old animatedly told the bench: “I’ve forgiven them in my heart (for) what they’ve done to me”.

“I’m going to die in jail because of these people, because of their filthy lies,” he told the court.

Earlier, he had to be reminded claims he made about his conviction for raping a 17-year-old on his vessel at Kawana in 1986 weren’t admissible because he hadn’t given testimony at trial.

“I was hoping the three of you ... would put your heads together and say this is just ridiculous,” he replied when Justice Philip Morrison brought it to his attention.

But prosecutor David Nardone challenged his suggestion the teenager had made her complaint to cover up the theft of $150, given she’d come forward some 14 years later.

There was nothing to suggest Collins had suffered a miscarriage of justice, he added.

Barrister Peter Callaghan had earlier made arguments on Collins’ behalf relating to the other two women, including allegedly irreconcilable versions of events given by one about a period of three to four weeks when she stayed aboard with him.

However, prosecutor Glen Cash said it was clear the matter didn’t cause the jury reasonable doubt and there were valid causes, such as the threat of violence, that meant she didn’t try to leave earlier.

The court reserved its decision.