Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists

Individuals of an Italy-based clan of thieves who took over £1.2 million valued of items, including from former Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie travelled to the north-east of England to raid three houses in April 2024.

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

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing another car to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of items including designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, valuables and shoes worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, used gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices 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 elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the only one found to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

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

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".