Alexander Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Thefts
Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who took over £1.2m worth of items, among them from ex- Newcastle United striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.
Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of the UK to raid multiple homes in spring 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 brothers Nikolov were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Burglaries
The judge previously heard the group arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute burglaries.
On March 31 they took over one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.
The following night, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at more than £100,000.
After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, wore gloves and masks, switched their mobile devices 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 rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham 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 submitted admissions to the same charge.
At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said each of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any money that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be served in prison if he failed to pay.
The other three had no money or property so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the money was not submitted.
The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the amount outstanding".