Isak Burglars Ordered to Repay Just £1 Each from £1.2m Heists

Individuals of an Italian family of thieves who stole more than £1.2 million valued of goods, including from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of the UK to raid three houses in spring 2024.

The group of four were imprisoned for between a decade or less in 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang came by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing another car to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they took over one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

The following night, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, valuables and shoes worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor the prosecution 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 had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to pay 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 found with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount due".