Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Just £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts

Burglary suspects
Charlie Jovanovic confessed to their involvement in the burglaries

Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2m worth of items, including from ex- Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in April 2024.

The foursome were jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court was told the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of items such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

Valentino Nikolov
Valentino Nikolov was the only one of the foursome to contest burglary but was found guilty by jurors

The following night, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then acted at the home of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, used gloves and masks, switched their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Alexander Isak's home
Burglars stole money and jewellery worth £80,000 and an Audi from then-Newcastle United striker Isak's home

Legal Hearings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the judge heard, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in prison the consequence if the sum was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".

David Gillespie
David Gillespie

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in online gambling, specializing in slot machine mechanics and player psychology.