Alexander Isak Robbers Ordered to Pay Just £1 Each from £1.2m Thefts
Individuals of an Italian family of thieves who stole over £1.2 million worth of items, including from ex- Newcastle United striker Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of the UK to raid three houses in April 2024.
The foursome were imprisoned for from a decade or less in May 2025.
At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay £1,135.
Particulars of the Burglaries
The judge previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to scout out properties and execute burglaries.
On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of items including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.
The next evening, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at more than £100,000.
After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The group, who were described by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they approached their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.
Legal Proceedings and Rulings
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.
The other three had no money or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the money was not submitted.
Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "satisfy the sum due".