Alexander Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Heists
Members of an Italian clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her son Charlie travelled to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.
The foursome were jailed for from six and 10 years in May 2025.
At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.
Details of the Burglaries
The court previously heard the gang arrived by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and execute burglaries.
On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.
The following night, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at over £100,000.
After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced touring burglars, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.
Court Proceedings and Rulings
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.
At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he defaulted.
The other three had no money or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in prison the result if the sum was not submitted.
The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount outstanding".