🔗 Share this article

Individuals of an Italy-based clan of burglars who stole over £1.2 million valued of goods, including from former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.

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

The group of four were jailed for between a decade or less in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Details of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the group came by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while using a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

The following night, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, used hand coverings and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no assets or assets so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in prison the result if the sum was not submitted.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a fast car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate further action to "satisfy the sum due".