Isak Robbers Ordered to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts
Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2 million worth of items, including from former Newcastle United striker Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.
The foursome were jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.
At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Burglaries
The judge previously heard the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while using another car to search for properties and execute burglaries.
On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.
The next evening, the crew broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, valuables and footwear worth more than £100,000.
After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the home of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional itinerant thieves, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices off as they neared their objectives and attached a license 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 April 13.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.
At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.
But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.
The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not submitted.
The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount outstanding".