Isak Robbers Ordered to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists

Members of an Italian clan of burglars who stole more than £1.2m worth of goods, including from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.

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

The group of four were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Burglaries

The court was told the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing another car to search for targets and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they took over £1m of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The following night, the crew broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the home of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, used hand coverings and masks, turned their phones off as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all entered guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in prison the consequence if the money was not submitted.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as operating Italy in a fast car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "recover the amount outstanding".