Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Just £1 Each from £1.2m Heists

Burglary suspects
Charlie Jovanovic admitted their involvement in the burglaries

Individuals of an Italy-based family of thieves who stole over £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from former NUFC forward Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 each.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in April 2024.

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

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the group came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino was the only one of the group to contest the charge but was convicted by jurors

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, valuables and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for two days, they then struck at the home of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in money, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Alexander Isak's home
Burglars stole cash and jewelry valued at eighty thousand pounds and an car from then-Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak's home

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their offenses 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 only one deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.

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

Judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate further action to "satisfy the sum due".

John Price
John Price

Wildlife biologist and photographer specializing in sloth behavior and rainforest ecosystems, with over a decade of field research experience.