🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who stole over £1.2 million valued of items, including from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 per person.

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

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

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £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 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service service stations while using a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took over £1m of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

The following night, the crew entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear worth more than £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were described by the prosecution as experienced touring burglars, used gloves and masks, switched their mobile devices off as they neared their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all entered guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants 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 was the sole individual found to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no money or property so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the result if the money was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".