🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who took more than £1.2 million worth of goods, including from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

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

The group of four were jailed for from six and 10 years in 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding 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 Burglaries

The court previously heard the group arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing another car to scout out targets and execute thefts.

On 31 March they took over £1m of goods such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The following night, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced touring burglars, used hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices off as they neared their targets and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or property so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount due".