Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Thefts

Members of an Italian family of thieves who took more than £1.2m valued of goods, among them from ex- Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 per person.

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

The group of four were imprisoned for between a decade or less in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Details of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they stole over £1m of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The following night, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and footwear worth over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as professional itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices off as they approached 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 arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

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

At the criminal gains session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, 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", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

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

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the amount due".