Alexander Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Only £1 Each from £1.2m Heists

Burglary suspects
Charlie Jovanovic confessed to participating in the burglaries

Individuals of an Italian family of burglars who took more than £1.2m valued of items, including from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for between six and 10 years in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewelry 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 group to deny burglary but was found guilty by the jury

The next evening, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, wore gloves and face coverings, switched their phones off as they approached their targets and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Alexander Isak's home
Burglars took cash and jewelry valued at £80,000 and an car from then-Newcastle United striker Isak's property

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

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

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "recover the amount outstanding".

Patricia Gray
Patricia Gray

Elara is a seasoned betting analyst with over a decade of experience in sports gambling and odds forecasting.