Alexander Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Just £1 Each from £1.2 Million Thefts
Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who stole more than £1.2 million valued of goods, including from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.
Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in April 2024.
The foursome were imprisoned for between a decade or less in May 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.
Particulars of the Burglaries
The judge previously heard the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham rest stops while using another car to search for properties and carry out thefts.
On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of items such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.
The next evening, the gang broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.
Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.
The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, used gloves and face coverings, switched their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.
They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.
Court Proceedings and Rulings
Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in prison the consequence if the sum was not paid.
The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "such as driving around in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum due".