Alexander Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Only £1 Each from £1.2 Million Thefts

Burglary suspects
Giacomo Nikolov confessed to their involvement in the burglaries

Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who took over £1.2 million valued of goods, including from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to burgle three houses in April 2024.

The foursome were jailed for from six and 10 years 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 hand over over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court was told the gang arrived by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and execute thefts.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

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

The next evening, the crew entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's facility for two days, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, 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 group, who were described by the prosecution as experienced touring burglars, wore gloves and masks, switched their mobile devices on silent as they neared 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 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 Isak's home

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court heard, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he defaulted.

The other three had no assets or property so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the consequence if the sum was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum due".

Ryan Reed
Ryan Reed

A seasoned gambling analyst with over a decade of experience in casino game strategy and industry trends.