Alexander Isak Burglars Instructed to Repay Only £1 Each from £1.2 Million Heists

Burglary suspects
Giacomo Nikolov admitted their involvement in the crimes

Individuals of an Italian clan of thieves who took more than £1.2m valued of items, among them from ex- Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her son Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in April 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the group came by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of goods such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino was the sole member of the group to contest burglary but was found guilty by the jury

The following night, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, valuables and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Swedish 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 player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, wore gloves and face coverings, switched their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Alexander Isak's home
Thieves stole money and jewellery worth £80,000 and an car from footballer Alexander Isak's home

Legal Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or assets so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "recover the amount outstanding".

Jason Martinez
Jason Martinez

Elara Vance is a tech journalist specializing in AI and machine learning, with a background in computer science and a passion for demystifying complex topics.