Alexander Isak Burglars Ordered to Repay Only £1 Each from £1.2m Heists
Individuals of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2 million valued of items, including from former NUFC forward Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.
Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.
The foursome were imprisoned 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 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Break-ins
The judge previously heard the gang arrived by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing another car to search for targets and carry out burglaries.
On March 31 they took more than £1m of items including designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.
The next evening, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, valuables and footwear valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.
After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant thieves, used gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices off as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value 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", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.
The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the result if the sum was not submitted.
The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".