Alexander Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Thefts

Members of an Italian clan of burglars who stole over £1.2 million valued of items, among them from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

The foursome were jailed for from six and 10 years in 2025.

At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the gang arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of goods such as high-end fashion, 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 broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and masks, turned their phones off as they neared their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or property so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".