🔗 Share this article

Individuals of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2m worth of items, among them from ex- Newcastle United striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of the UK to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.

The foursome were jailed for between a decade or less in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they took over one million pounds of goods including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The following night, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, valuables and shoes valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, used gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or property so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the money was not submitted.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".