🔗 Share this article

Individuals of an Italian clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2 million valued of goods, among them from former NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

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

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

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

The following night, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth more than £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor the prosecution 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 was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".