Alexander Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists

Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took over £1.2m worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to burgle three houses in April 2024.

The group of four were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in May 2025.

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

Details of the Burglaries

The court was told the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham rest stops while using another car to scout out targets and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they stole more than £1m of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional itinerant thieves, wore gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no assets or assets so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "recover the amount due".