Alexander Isak burglars ordered to pay just ONE POUND back after £1.2m thefts

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A family of burglars have been ordered to pay back £1 each after stealing goods worth more than £1.2m from their activities, which included a strike on Alexander Isak's house back in April 2024. The four burglars were named as Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, who were brothers, along with their sister Jela Jovanovic, and her son, Charlie Jovanovic.

The Italian family travelled to the north-east of England back in March 2024, with Newcastle Crown Court told how they arrived by ferry in a Citroen C3. A campervan was later used to scout out their targets and to plan out their burglaries in the area, which started on March 31 from a house in Newcastle.

Over £1m worth of goods were stolen that night, which included designer clothing, jewellery, and a CBE medal, all while the homeowners were away on holiday. The next night, they did the same thing again in South Tyneside, stealing more £100,000 worth of goods.

The foursome then went and scouted out the Newcastle United training ground, before planning out a burglary at Alexander Isak's house. On 4 April, they stole the forward's Audi RS6, jewellery, and cash, all amounting to £198,000 worth of items taken during the raid.

The court later heard from Dan Cordey, prosecuting, how Isak had left his house between 4pm and 10pm on the day of the burglary, returning to see his bins moved and the break-in that had occurred. The gang were claimed to have broken in through the TV room, before taking the valuable items.

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Isak's Audi was later found abandoned by a member of the public. All four burglars were later arrested in Birmingham on 13 April, charged with conspiracy to burglary.

The family were described as "professional touring burglars" by prosecutors, who had planned out their raids on houses during their time in the north-east.

That included the use of a stolen number plate from a car to cover up that of their Citroen C3, which was used to carry out the burglaries, while masks and gloves were also worn.

Valentino Nikolov was the only one to deny the charge, as the other three in the family had all entered guilty pleas. The four of them were jailed earlier this year for between six and 10 years.

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At the proceeds of crime hearing in Newcastle Crown Court, the recouped money amounted to very little. Jela Jovanovic, and her brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, were ordered to pay back a nominal £1 fee.

The trio were found to have no assets or money that could be seized. Charlie Jovanovic did have to pay £1,135.50 that was seized by police.

That is despite the family taking over £1.2m worth of goods during their burglaries in the north-east, the value of which comes from what the victims claimed they had lost.