🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italian clan of burglars who took over £1.2m valued of items, among them from ex- Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.

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

The group of four were jailed for from six and 10 years in 2025.

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they took over one million pounds of items including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the crew entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, used gloves and face coverings, turned their phones off as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Hearings and Sentencing

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

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had profited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were directed to make a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in prison the result if the money was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".