Alexander Isak Burglars Ordered to Pay Only £1 Each from £1.2m Thefts
Members of an Italian clan of thieves who took over £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in April 2024.
The foursome were jailed for between six and 10 years in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must pay £1,135.
Details of the Burglaries
The court was told the group arrived by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to search for targets and carry out burglaries.
On 31 March they took over one million pounds of goods including high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.
The next evening, the crew broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, jewellery and shoes worth over £100,000.
After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.
The gang, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, used gloves and face coverings, switched their phones off as they approached their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.
At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.
The remaining members had no assets or assets so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not submitted.
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 property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the amount due".