Man jailed for life after Dariusz Michalowski murder in 2011

Today, Adam Tolwinski, 39, of Devonshire Street in Keighley and Ernest Weber, 46, were both sentenced to life with a minimum term of 33 years for Dariusz Michalowski’s murder, preventing a legal burial and for perverting the course of justice in covering up the crime.

Ernest Weber (Image: West Yorkshire Police)Piotr Weber, 43, of Bridgend Close in Middlesborough was sentenced to six years for perverting the course of justice and preventing a legal burial.

Piotr Weber (Image: West Yorkshire Police)The men were brought to justice following years of police investigation into the disappearance of Mr 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 males and the discovery of Mr Michalowski's body in land in Mixenden in December 2020.

During the lengthy trial, the court heard that Mr Michalowski had family links with both Weber brothers in Poland through marriage, and had associated with them and Tolwinski, among other members of the Polish community, in West Yorkshire.

This included some casual work for Ernest Weber and Tolwinski in a garage in Huddersfield which the men owned.

Both had in the past assaulted him and on March 13, went to see him in his flat on Macauley Road in Huddersfield while under the influence of drink and drugs.

The two confronted him believing he had passed on information about illegal activity they were involved in and, over the hours that followed, beat, tortured and then killed their victim, with Tolwinski delivering the fatal assault with a knife.

The men then took his body to a rural area they knew in Mixenden where they left his covered body.  

Piotr Weber was made aware of what had taken place the next day and took a leading role in subsequent efforts to properly bury the body and create as false trail for police to make it look as if Mr Michalowski had disappeared.

Detective Superintendent Tony Nicholson of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, who led the 2020 reinvestigation, said: “We welcome the sentencing of these men for their roles in what was an appalling set of crimes committed against a vulnerable, isolated man.

“Dariusz was subjected to a horrific assault intended to brutalise and degrade him in the most sadistic fashion. It is hard to comprehend what was going through the minds of those who carried it out.

“All parties then became involved in a detailed plot to cover up the murder and dispose of Dariusz’s body in an isolated rural location, denying him a burial and denying his relatives any awareness of what had happened to their loved one.

“Frankly it is hard to think of a more callous set of circumstances in which this poor man could be treated, especially by people who were his close associates."

He added: “All unsolved serious offences in West Yorkshire are subject to review and this case again demonstrates that no matter how long ago an offence was committed, we will always seek to bring those responsible to justice.”

David Holderness, Specialist Prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire & Humberside said: “Dariusz Michalowski suffered unthinkable and inhumane levels of abuse before he was cruelly murdered by Adam Tolwinski and Ernest Weber.

“Their sadism was laid bare when they tortured Dariusz before killing him – and in a final act of callousness, disposing of his body with fellow defendant Piotr Weber.

“The CPS worked hand-in-glove with West Yorkshire police to unpick the web of lies the defendants had spun to cover up their crime, leading to the conviction of all three men – with life sentences handed down for Tolwinski and Weber. 

“Nothing can make up for the suffering Dariusz endured and the loss so keenly felt by his family and friends, but I hope this conviction and sentencing bring some comfort to those who knew him.”