Alexander Isak Burglars Ordered to Repay Just £1 Each from £1.2 Million Heists

Burglary suspects
Jela Jovanovic admitted participating in the crimes

Members of an Italian clan of thieves who stole over £1.2m worth of items, including from ex- Newcastle United forward Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to raid three houses in April 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge was told the group came by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service stations while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they stole over £1m of goods such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino Nikolov was the only one of the group to deny the charge but was found guilty by jurors

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

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, wore gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their targets and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Alexander Isak's home
Burglars took money and jewellery worth eighty thousand pounds and an Audi from then-Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak's property

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all entered guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the judge heard, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or property so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the money was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".

Katherine Allison
Katherine Allison

A productivity consultant and writer with over a decade of experience in workplace optimization and time management strategies.