Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Only £1 Each from £1.2 Million Thefts

Burglary suspects
Giacomo Nikolov admitted their involvement in the crimes

Members of an Italian clan of thieves who took more than £1.2m valued of goods, including from ex- Newcastle United striker Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie travelled to the northeastern of the UK to raid three houses in spring 2024.

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

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

Details of the Break-ins

The court was told the gang came by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan 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 over £1m of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino Nikolov was the only one of the foursome to deny the charge but was convicted by the jury

The following night, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced touring burglars, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Alexander Isak's home
Burglars took money and jewellery worth £80,000 and an car from then-Newcastle United striker Isak's home

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 admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

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

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the sum outstanding".

Brian Davis
Brian Davis

A wildlife biologist with over a decade of experience studying sloths in Central America, passionate about conservation and education.