Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Only £1 Each from £1.2m Thefts
Individuals of an Italian family of thieves who took more than £1.2m worth of goods, among them from former NUFC forward Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 each.
Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of England to raid three houses in spring 2024.
The group of four were jailed for between a decade or less in 2025.
At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must pay £1,135.
Details of the Break-ins
The judge previously heard the gang 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 rest stops while utilizing another car to scout out targets and execute burglaries.
On March 31 they took over one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were away.
The following night, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.
Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The group, who were described by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.
Court Hearings and Rulings
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.
But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no money or property so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.
Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "such as operating in Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the sum due".
