Alexander Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts

Members of an Italian clan of thieves who took more than £1.2 million valued of items, among them from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in 2025.

At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang came by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they took more than £1m of items including designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, valuables and footwear worth more than £100,000.

After scouting out 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 ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, wore hand coverings and face coverings, switched their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all entered guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims 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 police, the court heard, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in prison the consequence if the sum was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount outstanding".