Isak Burglars Ordered to Repay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Heists
Individuals of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took over £1.2 million worth of items, including from former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of the UK to raid multiple homes in April 2024.
The group of four were jailed for between six and 10 years in 2025.
At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Burglaries
The court previously heard the gang arrived 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 utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.
On March 31 they stole over £1m of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.
The following night, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth over one hundred thousand pounds.
After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices on silent as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.
They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.
Legal Proceedings and Rulings
Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.
The other three had no assets or assets so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not submitted.
The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "recover the amount outstanding".