TWO men - including one from Keighley - have been found guilty of murdering a man in West Yorkshire more than a decade ago. 

Adam Tolwinski, 39, of Devonshire Street in Keighley, and Ernest Weber, 46, of no fixed address, were found guilty of Dariusz Michalowski’s murder, preventing a legal burial, and perverting the course of justice in covering up the crime.

They were sentenced along with Piotr Weber, 43, of Bridgend Close in Middlesborough, who was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and preventing a legal burial, at Leeds Crown Court today (Tuesday, October 24).

West Yorkshire Police welcomed the verdicts handed down by the jury to the men found guilty of their part in the murder and then disposal of the body of Mr Michalowski in the Huddersfield and Calderdale areas in 2011.

The men were brought to justice following years of police investigation into the disappearance of Michalowski, including multiple appeals in West Yorkshire and in his native Poland.

The case remained subject to frequent review by the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, with further analysis in January 2020 leading to the new questioning of all three men involved, and other parties connected to them.

One of those other parties later came forward with vital new information which led to the arrest of all three men and the discovery of Mr Michalowski's body in land in Mixenden, Halifax, in December 2020.

Detective Superintendent Tony Nicholson, who led the investigation, said: “I welcome the jury’s verdicts today and we now await the sentencing of these men on Thursday. 

“I hope seeing these men found guilty of the crimes they inflicted Dariusz can at least begin the process of bringing some closure to his family after so many years of uncertainty about what became of him. 

“This conviction demonstrates that no matter how long ago a serious unsolved crime was committed, those responsible should never stop looking over their shoulders as we will never stop looking for them.” 

The men will be sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on the morning of Thursday, October 26.