Alexander Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists
Individuals of an Italian clan of thieves who took over £1.2m worth of goods, including from former Newcastle United striker Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 per person.
Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in April 2024.
The foursome were imprisoned for between six and 10 years in May 2025.
At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay £1,135.
Particulars of the Break-ins
The judge was told the group arrived by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while using another car to search for properties and carry out thefts.
On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.
The next evening, the crew broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and shoes valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.
Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.
The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices off as they approached their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court was informed, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.
The remaining members had no money or property so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the result if the sum was not paid.
Judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "satisfy the amount due".