Two burglars already jailed for raiding Alexander Isak's home have been given extra time behind bars for a series of raids targeting three other footballers.
Valentino Nikolov and Charlie Jovanovic were among those locked up last year for breaking into Isak's Darras Hall home amid a spate of high value raids in the North East.
Raids on three more players
The pair have now been back before Newcastle Crown Court for similar attacks on the homes of Manchester United's Matheus Cunha, ex-Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey and former Birmingham City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge. The court heard they carried out the offences in the West Midlands around Christmas and New Year after scoping out victims' movements by visiting training grounds, other locations, and monitoring their social media.
During a break-in at Cunha's home, they stole valuables worth up to £500,000. Mr Cunha's home was broken into on December 27 while he was away playing for his then club Wolves. His wife returned home to see a dog running loose and when she heard a noise upstairs she fled and called police.
Details of the break-ins
Neil Etheridge's home was broken into on Boxing Day 2023 while he was playing for Birmingham. His wife was at a friend's house and she was alerted by a baby monitor showing a figure in a bedroom and she called 999. Among the £15,000 of items stolen was a Rolex watch, handbags, jewellery, a wedding band and passports.
An attempt was made to burgle former Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey's home on New Year's Eve 2023 while he and his partner were visiting relatives. Mr Bailey was alerted by a mobile phone notification from his security system that two men wearing dark clothes, gloves and with their faces obscured had got over a barbed wire fence and were approaching the back door. The security system informed the burglars police had been contacted and were on their way and they fled empty-handed.
Sentences and deportation
The court heard around a quarter of the property stolen in the raids was recovered. Nikolov, 34, and Jovanovic, 24, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle.
Nikolov was jailed for four years four months, to run consecutive to the 10 years he received last May for the North East offences. Jovanovic got two years and four months, consecutive to the six years nine months he got last year. They face automatic deportation after serving their sentences.
