Isak Robbers Instructed to Pay Just £1 Each from £1.2m Thefts
Members of an Italian family of burglars who took more than £1.2m worth of items, including from ex- Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.
Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.
The group of four were jailed for between six and 10 years in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay £1,135.
Details of the Break-ins
The court previously heard the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing another car to scout out targets and carry out burglaries.
On 31 March they took over one million pounds of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were away.
The following night, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth more than £100,000.
Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The group, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.
Legal Hearings and Sentencing
Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all entered guilty pleas to the identical accusation.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.
But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge heard, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no assets or assets so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.
Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", the prosecution could seek further action to "satisfy the amount outstanding".