Alexander Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts
Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who stole over £1.2 million worth of items, among them from former NUFC striker Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 each.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.
The foursome were imprisoned for between a decade or less in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must pay £1,135.
Details of the Break-ins
The judge was told the group arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham rest stops while using a separate vehicle to scout out targets and carry out thefts.
On 31 March they stole over one million pounds of items including designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.
The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, valuables and shoes valued at over £100,000.
Following surveillance of the football club's facility for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.
The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices off as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Court Hearings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.
At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he defaulted.
The other three had no assets or property so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the money was not paid.
Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a home", prosecutors could seek further action to "recover the amount due".