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

Burglary suspects
Jela Jovanovic confessed to their involvement in the burglaries

Members of an Italian clan of thieves who took over £1.2 million valued of items, among them from former NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in April 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details 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 Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while using another car to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino Nikolov was the only one of the group to contest burglary but was found guilty by the jury

The next evening, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at more than £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their phones off as they approached their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Alexander Isak's home
Burglars took cash and jewellery valued at eighty thousand pounds and an car from footballer Alexander Isak's home

Legal Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the money was not submitted.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", the prosecution could initiate further action to "recover the amount outstanding".

Chloe Thompson
Chloe Thompson

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and consumer electronics.