Burglars (L-r) Valentino Nikolov, Giacomo Nikolov, Jela Jovanovic and Charlie Jovanovic
Burglars (L-r) Valentino Nikolov, Giacomo Nikolov, Jela Jovanovic and Charlie Jovanovic
A gang of burglars who raided Newcastle United star Alexander Isak's home and stole property worth more than £1 million from another house are facing jail.
Two men and a woman had already admitted their part in the high value heists in Darras Hall, Jesmond and Whitburn and now family member Valentino Nikolov, 32, has been convicted of conspiracy to burgle.
A judge at Newcastle Crown Court told Nikolov he faces an inevitable custodial sentence when he is sentenced alongside Jela Jovanovic, 42, Giacomo Nikolov, 27 and Charlie Jovanovic, 22, for conspiracy to commit burglary between March 26 and April 5 last year in relation to properties at, Clayton Road, Jesmond, Woodlands Grove, Whitburn and Middle Drive, Darras Hall.
Valentino Nikolov, found guilty of conspiracy to burgle (Image: Northumbria Police)
Judge Robert Spragg told Nikolov: “I’m going to order a pre-sentence report in your case, which is a report by the probation service about you. The reality is you are facing an immediate custodial sentence for this offence, that’s inevitable.
“However I want to know more about you and I’m arranging for the probation service to prepare a report about you and tell me more about your background.”
Following the verdicts, North East Regional Crime Unit (NEROCU) Detective Constable Mark Armstrong, said: “This is a fantastic result, which has been the outcome of an incredibly complex and comprehensive police investigation by several police partners. Burglaries are an insidious crime and causes a great amount of emotional and financial trauma to victims.”
Jela Jovanovic, who admitted conspiracy to burgle
NEROCU Detective Inspector Shaun Fordy said: “This is just the latest example of the work being done as part of Operation Sentinel – our region wide approach to tackling Serious and Organised Crime.
“I want to praise the efforts of all our partners, and the teams involved. We will continue to pursue those criminals who target our communities, and we will bring them before the courts.
“We also want to encourage people to continue to remain vigilant by locking doors and windows and report any suspicious behaviour or criminal activity in their community.”
Giacomo Nikolov, who admitted conspiracy to burgle (Image: Northumbria Police)
Christopher Atkinson, Head of CPS North East’s Complex Casework Unit, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has worked closely with the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit throughout this complex investigation.
“It is testament to the quality of that investigation, especially the effective partnership work between multiple police forces, that we have been provided with such a significant amount of evidence. This has enabled us to build a particularly robust prosecution case, which has been instrumental in securing convictions against those responsible for these offences.”
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As we reported previously, Mr Isak told how he returned home to find his car, expensive jewellery and bags of cash had been stolen. And businesswoman Helen McArdle and her husband lost property worth more than £1m during a raid on their Jesmond house while they were on holiday.
A statement was read to jurors from Mr Isak, who said he was burgled on April 4 last year between 4pm and 10pm. He said he left the house locked and secure but when he got back: “I noticed my bins at the front of the property and this is not where I left them, which was by the gate.”
Charlie Jovanovic, who admitted conspiracy to burgle (Image: Northumbria Police)
He said he found a glass door had been smashed and personal property was strewn around. He added: “Upstairs in a bedroom I keep cash in bags and this had been stolen. This was £5,000 to £10,000 in cash in notes and coins.” Mr Isak said a metal safe had been stolen from one of the bedrooms but he said that had been left by a previous tenant and he didn’t know what, if anything, it contained as he had not been able to gain access to it
He added that his Audi RS6 estate and its keys were stolen. In a second statement, Mr Isak said he had identified that jewellery had been stolen from the main bedroom. He said: “This was bespoke jewellery with an approximate value of £68,000.” He said the men's jewellery included necklaces, bracelets and rings.
A statement was also read from Mrs McArdle, whose four-storey home in Jesmond was burgled while she and her husband were on holiday in Spain. She said the offenders “stole a large amount of items”, including jewellery, watches, handbags and clothing.
They also took a safe which contained her CBE, which she said is “irreplaceable” and gold coins. Mrs McArdle said the estimated value of the stolen items is more than £1m.
She listed various items which were stolen, including watches worth up to £50,000 each, a diamond ring worth more than £100,000, a diamond pendant worth £35,000 and diamond earrings worth £45,000.
Nikolov, of Tew Park Road, Birmingham, his brother Giacomo Nikolov, 28, his sister Jela Jovanovic, 43, and her son Charlie Jovanovic, 23, who all reside in Italy, will be sentenced on a date to be fixed. Safet Ramic, who is the 58-year-old father of Valentino Nikolov's former partner, was cleared of two counts of handling stolen goods.
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