Italian Burglars Jailed for Targeting Premier League Footballers
A pair of traveling burglars have been sentenced to prison for targeting the homes of several Premier League stars, stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of goods.
Two Italian nationals, Valentino Nikolov, 34, and his nephew Charlie Jovanovic, 24, have been sentenced for a string of burglaries targeting the homes of professional footballers in the United Kingdom. The pair, who traveled from Italy, researched their victims by studying social media and visiting training grounds. They were equipped with masks, torches, and chemical spray to subdue pets.
Nikolov and Jovanovic were already serving sentences for a burglary at the Newcastle home of striker Alexander Isak in April 2024. During that incident, they and two other family members stole approximately £78,000 in cash and jewelry. The court heard that additional family members, Giacomo Nikolov, 28, and Jela Jovanovic, 43, were also jailed for their roles in that and other burglaries, receiving eight years and seven years and two months, respectively. This group also targeted two other properties in the Tyneside area, stealing an estimated £1.1 million in valuables.
The pair's more recent crimes included targeting the homes of Matheus Cunha, Leon Bailey, and Neil Etheridge. During the burglary at Etheridge's home on December 23, 2023, while he was away on an away match, his wife was alerted by a baby monitor. She called emergency services, and footage showed two men entering the property through a first-floor bedroom window. The burglars conducted an "untidy search" and appeared to use chemical spray on the dogs.
Just four days later, on December 27, 2023, Cunha's home was targeted while he was playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers. His wife returned home to find a dog loose in the garden, leading to the discovery of the break-in. An estimated £350,000 to £500,000 worth of designer items were stolen from his residence.
On New Year's Eve, Leon Bailey's home was targeted while he was playing for Aston Villa. However, a security system alerted authorities to the attempted break-in by two men in dark clothing, and nothing was stolen from his property.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that the burglaries were professionally planned and executed by an organized crime group. Judge Robert Spragg noted that the defendants had carefully researched and targeted their victims, employing sophisticated methods. Following their convictions for conspiracy to burgle, both Nikolov and Jovanovic are set to face deportation from the UK.