Alexander Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists
Members of an Italian clan of burglars who took over £1.2 million valued of goods, including from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.
The group of four were jailed for from six and 10 years in May 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.
Particulars of the Break-ins
The court previously heard the gang came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for targets and execute thefts.
On March 31 they took over one million pounds of goods such as designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.
The next evening, the crew broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and footwear worth over £100,000.
Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the home of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.
The group, who were described by prosecutors as professional itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones off as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.
Court Proceedings and Rulings
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the same charge.
At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he defaulted.
The other three had no money or assets so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.
Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the sum due".