Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Just £1 Each from £1.2m Thefts
Members of an Italian clan of thieves who stole over £1.2m worth of goods, including from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the northeastern of England to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.
The foursome were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie must hand over £1,135.
Particulars of the Burglaries
The judge previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham rest stops while using another car to scout out targets and carry out burglaries.
On March 31 they stole over £1m of goods including high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.
The next evening, the crew entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, jewellery and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.
After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then acted at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.
The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the same charge.
At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.
The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not paid.
The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the sum due".
