Alexander Isak Burglars Ordered to Pay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists
Individuals of an Italian family of thieves who took more than £1.2m worth of items, including from former NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to raid multiple homes in April 2024.
The group of four were jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.
At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay £1,135.
Particulars of the Burglaries
The judge was told the group came by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.
On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were away.
The next evening, the crew entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, valuables and shoes valued at over £100,000.
After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, used gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices off as they approached their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Legal Proceedings and Rulings
Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.
The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "for example operating Italy in a sports car or owning a home", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".