Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Thefts

Burglary suspects
Jela Jovanovic confessed to participating in the burglaries

Individuals of an Italian family of burglars who stole over £1.2 million valued of goods, among them from ex- Newcastle United striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for between a decade or less in 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court was told the gang came by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked 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 stole more than one million pounds of items including designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino Nikolov was the only one of the group to deny the charge but was found guilty by the jury

The following night, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Alexander Isak's home
Thieves took money and jewelry worth eighty thousand pounds and an Audi from footballer Alexander Isak's home

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had profited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the only one found to have any money that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or assets so were directed to make a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in prison the consequence if the money was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", the prosecution could initiate further action to "recover the sum due".

Kelly Sparks
Kelly Sparks

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in slot machine mechanics and gambling strategies, dedicated to helping players win smarter.