Isak Robbers Instructed to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts

Burglary suspects
Charlie Jovanovic confessed to participating in the crimes

Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who stole over £1.2 million worth of items, including from ex- Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in April 2024.

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

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

Details of the Break-ins

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 a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of items including designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino was the sole member of the foursome to deny the charge but was found guilty by the jury

The following night, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at more than £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's facility for two days, they then acted at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional itinerant burglars, 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 a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Alexander Isak's home
Burglars took money and jewellery worth £80,000 and an Audi from footballer Alexander Isak's property

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

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

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "recover the sum outstanding".

Brendan Garcia
Brendan Garcia

A digital strategist with over a decade of experience in tech innovation and content marketing, passionate about simplifying complex topics.