🔗 Share this article

Individuals of an Italian clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2m worth of items, including from ex- Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.

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

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the group arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while utilizing another car to scout out properties and execute thefts.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

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

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as professional touring thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their phones off as they neared their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

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

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".