Alexander Isak Burglars Ordered to Pay Only £1 Each from £1.2 Million Heists

Members of an Italian family of burglars who stole more than £1.2 million valued of goods, among them from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.

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

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while using a separate vehicle to search for targets and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they took over one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United'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 £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, used hand coverings and masks, switched their phones on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek further action to "satisfy the sum outstanding".