Alexander Isak Burglars Instructed to Repay Only £1 Each from £1.2m Heists

Burglary suspects
Giacomo Nikolov confessed to participating in the burglaries

Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who took over £1.2m worth of items, among them from ex- NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of England to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.

The foursome were jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service stations while using another car to search for targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

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

The following night, the gang entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and footwear worth over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, wore gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Alexander Isak's home
Burglars stole cash and jewelry valued at eighty thousand pounds and an Audi from then-Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak's home

Court Proceedings and Rulings

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

At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any money 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 prison if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the sum was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "such as operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "satisfy the amount due".

Angela Munoz
Angela Munoz

A passionate gamer and tech writer with over a decade of experience covering esports and game development trends.