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

Individuals of an Italian family of burglars who stole over £1.2m worth of items, among them from former NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.

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

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

At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using another car to scout out properties and execute burglaries.

On March 31 they took over one million pounds of items including designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

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

After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices off as they neared their objectives and strapped 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 13 April.

Court Hearings and Sentencing

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

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "recover the sum outstanding".