🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italian family of burglars who stole more than £1.2m worth of items, including from former Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in April 2024.

The group of four were imprisoned for between a decade or less in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court was told the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to scout out properties and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, valuables and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The gang, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

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

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the sum due".