🔗 Share this article

Individuals of an Italy-based clan of thieves who stole over £1.2m worth of items, among them from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the north-east of the UK to raid multiple homes in April 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for from a decade or less in 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing another car to scout out targets and execute burglaries.

On March 31 they stole over £1m of items such as designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the crew entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as experienced touring burglars, used gloves and masks, switched their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or assets so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the money was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the amount due".