Isak Robbers Ordered to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists

Members of an Italian family of thieves who stole more than £1.2m worth of goods, including from ex- Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in April 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Break-ins

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 parked at a service area and Durham service stations while using another car to scout out targets and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they stole more than £1m of goods including high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

The following night, the gang entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and footwear worth more than £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced touring thieves, used hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all entered guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the money was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount due".