🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2m worth of goods, including from former Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in April 2024.

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for targets and execute thefts.

On 31 March they took over one million pounds of goods including high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The following night, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and footwear worth more than £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking £10,000 in cash, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their phones on silent 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 Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", the prosecution could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount due".