Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Just £1 Each from £1.2 Million Thefts
Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who stole more than £1.2m valued of items, among them from ex- Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.
Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of the UK to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.
The foursome were jailed for between a decade or less in May 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.
Particulars of the Burglaries
The court previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for targets and carry out thefts.
On 31 March they stole over £1m of items including high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.
The following night, the crew entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, valuables and shoes valued at over £100,000.
After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The gang, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones off as they approached their targets and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.
They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.
At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, 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 token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the money was not submitted.
The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the amount due".
