Dariusz Michalowski murder: Two found guilty of murder over body of man found in shallow grave in Halifax

The remains of Dariusz Michalowski were discovered by police in woods off Hays Lane in Mixenden in December 2020.

Mr Michalowski, from Huddersfield, had disappeared in Birkby in March 2011,

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

A third man – Piotr Weber, aged 43 and of Bridgend Close in Middlesborough – was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and preventing a legal burial.

The men were brought to justice following years of police investigation into Mr Michalowski’s disappearance, including multiple appeals in West Yorkshire and 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, say West Yorkshire Police.

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 the body in Mixenden.

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 longer 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 Thursday.