Alexander Isak Burglars Ordered to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts

Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who took over £1.2 million valued of goods, including from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to raid multiple homes in April 2024.

The group of four were jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the group came by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and carry out burglaries.

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

The following night, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their mobile devices on silent as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any money that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no money or property so were directed to make a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the result if the money was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example operating in Italy in a fast car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".