Alexander Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Heists

Burglary suspects
Charlie Jovanovic admitted participating in the crimes

Individuals of an Italian family of thieves who stole over £1.2m worth of goods, including from former NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of the UK to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.

The group of four were jailed for from six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Burglaries

The judge was told the group arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they took more than £1m of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino was the sole member of the group to contest burglary but was found guilty by jurors

The next evening, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, jewellery and shoes worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, wore gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Alexander Isak's home
Thieves took cash and jewelry worth eighty thousand pounds and an Audi from then-Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak's home

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said each 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 sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no money or property so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".

Christopher Alvarez
Christopher Alvarez

Seasoned gambling analyst with over a decade of experience in UK betting markets and player advocacy.