🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who took more than £1.2 million worth of items, among them from former NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

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

After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, used hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices off as they approached their targets 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 on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had profited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

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

Judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a property", the prosecution could seek further action to "recover the amount due".