Alexander Isak Robbers Instructed to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Heists
Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who stole over £1.2 million worth of goods, including from ex- NUFC forward Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 each.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.
The group of four were jailed for from a decade or less in May 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.
Particulars of the Break-ins
The court was told the group came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while using a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out thefts.
On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of goods such as designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.
The following night, the gang entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, valuables and footwear valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.
Following surveillance of the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, used gloves and face coverings, switched their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.
They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all entered guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.
But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be served in prison if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no assets or property so were directed to make a token amount of £1 each, with one week in prison the result if the sum was not paid.
The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".