Alexander Isak Robbers Ordered to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Thefts

Members of an Italian family of burglars who stole more than £1.2m valued of items, among them from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her son Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.

The foursome were jailed for between six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to search for properties and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they took over £1m of goods such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth more than £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, used gloves and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".