Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts

Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who stole over £1.2m worth of goods, including from former NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.

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

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

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court was told the group came by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took over one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced touring burglars, used hand coverings and masks, switched their phones on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The other three had no money or assets so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the result if the sum was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", the prosecution could seek further action to "satisfy the amount outstanding".