Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Only £1 Each from £1.2m Heists
Individuals of an Italy-based clan of burglars who stole over £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.
The foursome were jailed for from a decade or less in May 2025.
At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie must hand over £1,135.
Particulars of the Break-ins
The judge previously heard the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while utilizing another car to search for targets and execute thefts.
On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.
The next evening, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, valuables and footwear valued at over £100,000.
Following surveillance of the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The group, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, wore gloves and face coverings, switched their mobile devices off as they neared their objectives and strapped a number 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.
Court Hearings and Rulings
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.
At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had profited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.
But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in prison if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no money or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the money was not paid.
Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".