🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italian clan of thieves who stole over £1.2m worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie travelled to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.

The foursome were jailed for from a decade or less in May 2025.

At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang arrived by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they took over one million pounds of goods such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

The following night, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, valuables and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones off as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses 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 "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

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

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "for example driving around in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".