Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Thefts

Members of an Italian family of thieves who stole over £1.2m worth of goods, including from ex- Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using a separate vehicle to scout out properties and execute burglaries.

On March 31 they took more than one million pounds of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, valuables and shoes worth more than £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones on silent as they neared their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop 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 Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example operating Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".