Court orders nominal repayment from crime syndicate despite £1.2m theft
A court has ordered members of an Italian crime syndicate to repay merely £1 each, despite their theft of goods valued at £1.2 million during a spate of burglaries across the North-East, reports BritPanorama.
The gang, comprising brothers Valentino Nikolov, 32, and Giacomo Nikolov, 28, alongside their sister Jela Jovanovic, 43, and her son Charlie Jovanovic, 23, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.
Prosecutors established that the criminals had benefited by £1,266,285.93 from their offences, although authorities could recover only £1,135.50 from seized assets. The nominal repayment order starkly contrasts with the scale of their crimes and the prison sentences they received.
During a single week in April 2024, the gang executed three meticulously planned raids. Their first target yielded designer items, handbags, jewellery, and a CBE medal worth £1 million while the homeowners were absent. The following evening saw them seize £100,000 in luxury clothing and accessories from another property.
Their final strike targeted footballer Alexander Isak’s residence, where they stole £68,000 in jewellery, £10,000 cash, and the footballer’s £120,000 Audi RS6. Prior to the attack, the gang conducted surveillance at Newcastle’s training facility for two days.
In May 2025, the family received prison terms ranging from six to ten years. In Monday’s proceedings, prosecutor Daniel Cordey confirmed the total criminal profits, with Charlie Jovanovic ordered to pay £1,135.50—the amount already confiscated from the group’s motorhome.
Due to the absence of traceable assets, the remaining members received token £1 repayment orders. Judge Robert Spragg warned that failure to pay within seven days would result in imprisonment, noting that future discoveries of assets could trigger fresh proceedings.
Isak described his ordeal upon returning home to find his property ransacked and even noted the stolen vehicle had been rammed through the property gates. “The attack on my home has left me with a sense of unease and I fear it could re-occur now the thieves know the layout and entry points to my home,” he stated. This incident underscores the ongoing challenges that come with protecting one’s privacy and security in the public eye.
