Isak Burglars Instructed to Repay Just £1 Per Person 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 forward Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 each.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov 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 proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay £1,135.
Details of the Burglaries
The court was told the group came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to search for targets and execute thefts.
On 31 March they stole more than £1m of items such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.
The next evening, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, valuables and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.
Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the home of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The gang, who were described by prosecutors as experienced touring thieves, used gloves and masks, turned their phones off as they neared their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the victims said they had lost.
But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in prison if he failed to pay.
The remaining members had no money or assets so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the consequence if the money was not paid.
Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the amount due".