🔗 Share this article

Individuals of an Italy-based family of thieves who took more than £1.2 million worth of items, including from ex- NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 per person.

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

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

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

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the group came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to search for targets and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of goods such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The following night, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at more than £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then acted at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking £10,000 in money, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, used gloves and face coverings, switched their phones off as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

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

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The other three had no money or property so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in prison the result if the sum was not paid.

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