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

Burglary suspects
Charlie Jovanovic confessed to their involvement in the burglaries

Individuals of an Italian clan of thieves who took more than £1.2m valued of items, including from former NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of the UK to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.

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

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the group came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of goods including designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino Nikolov was the sole member of the group to contest burglary but was found guilty by the jury

The next evening, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, valuables and shoes worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional itinerant thieves, wore gloves and face coverings, switched their mobile devices off as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Alexander Isak's home
Thieves stole cash and jewelry valued at £80,000 and an Audi from footballer Isak's home

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in prison the result if the sum was not paid.

Judge Robert 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 property", prosecutors could seek further action to "satisfy the sum outstanding".

Marcia Rogers
Marcia Rogers

Elara is a digital strategist with over a decade of experience in tech marketing and innovation, passionate about helping businesses adapt to new trends.