🔗 Share this article

Individuals of an Italian clan of thieves who stole over £1.2 million worth of goods, including from ex- Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of the UK to raid multiple homes in April 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Burglaries

The court was told the gang arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they stole over £1m of items including designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the crew broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then struck at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, used gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices off as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

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

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge heard, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "recover the amount due".