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

Individuals of an Italy-based clan of thieves who stole over £1.2 million worth of goods, including from former NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in April 2024.

The group of four were jailed for from six and 10 years in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court was told the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while using another car to search for targets and execute thefts.

On 31 March they stole over £1m of items such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as professional itinerant thieves, used hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones off as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, 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 pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not submitted.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".