Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Just £1 Each from £1.2m Heists
Individuals of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took more than £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.
Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.
The group of four were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in May 2025.
At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Break-ins
The judge was told the gang arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out targets and carry out thefts.
On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of items such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.
The next evening, the gang broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.
After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The gang, who were described by prosecutors as professional touring thieves, used gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.
But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.
The other three had no assets or property so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in prison the consequence if the sum was not submitted.
The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the amount due".
