Indication on why the court case for the man who lit Wellington's Loafers Lodge on fire stretched across five long weeks

50-year old Esarona Lologa was found guilty of five counts of murder in the High Court at Wellington yesterday.

More than 100 witnesses appeared over five weeks, and jury deliberations took 17 hours.

AUT Criminal Law Professor Warren Brookbanks, says Lologa had claimed a defence of insanity, so there was a mountain of psychiatric evidence.

He says this likely took a long time to work through - and the judge had to give appropriate directions to the jury, on how they should consider it.