Alexander Isak Robbers Instructed to Repay Just £1 Each from £1.2m Thefts
Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who took over £1.2 million valued of goods, including from former NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.
Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of the UK to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.
The group of four were imprisoned for from a decade or less in May 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Burglaries
The court was told the group came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using another car to search for properties and carry out thefts.
On 31 March they took over £1m of goods including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.
The next evening, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and shoes worth over one hundred thousand pounds.
After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the home of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, wore hand coverings and face coverings, switched their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.
Court Hearings and Sentencing
Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor the prosecution said every one 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 "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.
The other three had no money or property so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the result if the money was not submitted.
The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount due".