Isak Burglars Ordered to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2 Million Thefts

Burglary suspects
Giacomo Nikolov confessed to participating in the burglaries

Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2m worth of goods, among them from ex- Newcastle United striker Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court was told the gang arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out targets and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they took more than one million pounds of items such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino Nikolov was the sole member of the group to deny the charge but was convicted by the jury

The following night, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's facility for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced touring thieves, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their mobile devices off as they approached their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Alexander Isak's home
Thieves took cash and jewelry worth £80,000 and an Audi from then-Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak's home

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims 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 court was informed, with 14 days to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no assets or property so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in prison the result if the sum was not submitted.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".

Sarah White
Sarah White

A digital strategist and tech writer with over a decade of experience in analyzing emerging technologies and their impact on modern business landscapes.