Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Thefts
Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who took over £1.2m worth of items, including from former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of England to raid three houses in April 2024.
The foursome were jailed for between six and 10 years in 2025.
At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie must hand over £1,135.
Particulars of the Break-ins
The judge previously heard the group arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and carry out burglaries.
On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of items including designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.
The following night, the gang broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, valuables and footwear valued at over £100,000.
After scouting out the football club's facility for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.
The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.
They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.
Court Hearings and Rulings
Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all entered guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.
The other three had no money or property so were directed to make a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.
Judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", the prosecution could seek further action to "recover the sum outstanding".