Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists
Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took over £1.2m worth of goods, including from former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her son Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.
The foursome were jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Burglaries
The court previously heard the group came by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service stations while using a separate vehicle to scout out properties and execute burglaries.
On March 31 they took more than £1m of goods including high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.
The next evening, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear worth more than £100,000.
After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The group, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, wore gloves and masks, switched their mobile devices off as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.
Court Hearings and Rulings
Valentino had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.
At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in prison the result if the money was not submitted.
Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek further action to "recover the amount outstanding".