Isak Burglars Ordered to Pay Just £1 Each from £1.2m Heists

Members of an Italian clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2m valued of goods, including from ex- Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie travelled to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The court was told the gang arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing another car to scout out targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they took over £1m of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, valuables and shoes worth more than £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced touring thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their phones on silent as they approached their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all entered guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes 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 sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in prison the consequence if the sum was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the amount outstanding".