🔗 Share this article

Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who stole over £1.2m worth of goods, among them from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.

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

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the gang arrived by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using another car to scout out properties and execute thefts.

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

The following night, the gang broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced touring thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones off as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

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

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or assets so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in prison the result if the money was not submitted.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".