Alexander Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Heists
Members of an Italian clan of thieves who took more than £1.2m valued of goods, including from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 per person.
Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of the UK to raid three houses in spring 2024.
The group of four were jailed for from six and 10 years in May 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.
Particulars of the Burglaries
The judge was told the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing another car to search for properties and carry out burglaries.
On March 31 they took over one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were away.
The following night, the crew entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes worth over one hundred thousand pounds.
After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and masks, turned their phones on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the same charge.
At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he defaulted.
The other three had no assets or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not paid.
Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as driving around in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".