Alexander Isak Burglars Ordered to Pay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Thefts
Individuals of an Italy-based clan of thieves who took more than £1.2 million valued of items, including from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.
The foursome were jailed for between six and 10 years in 2025.
At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.
Particulars of the Break-ins
The court was told the gang came by ferry 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 service stations while utilizing another car to scout out properties and execute thefts.
On 31 March they took more than £1m of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.
The following night, the crew broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, valuables and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.
Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and masks, turned their phones on silent as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Legal Hearings and Sentencing
Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.
The other three had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.
Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "for example operating in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".