🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italian clan of burglars who took more than £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC forward Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of England to raid three houses in April 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for between six and 10 years in 2025.

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

Details of the Burglaries

The judge was told the group came by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while using a separate vehicle to search for targets and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of goods including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, wore gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

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

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or property so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the money was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the sum due".