A man has been found guilty of burning down a house so his ex-wife wouldn't get it in their divorce.

Krste Kovacevski claimed he still owned the Wollongong home in the early hours of August 4 last year, as he poured fuel through its rooms, dropped a lit piece of paper, and retreated to his granny flat to watch it burn.

With his home still smouldering, Krste Kovacevski retreated to his garage and fielded questions from curious neighbours. Credit:Angela Thompson

But on Friday a magistrate ruled otherwise: Kovacevski destroyed the uninsured, owned-outright home after losing it in divorce proceedings.

Magistrate Mark Douglass found the home didn't belong to Kovacevski, and that he was well aware of this, having signed it over in the presence of his lawyer the day earlier.