Isak Robbers Instructed to Pay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists

Individuals of an Italian clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2 million valued of goods, including from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

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

Details of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the group arrived by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and execute thefts.

On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes worth more than £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the home of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their phones off as they neared their targets and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in prison the consequence if the sum was not submitted.

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