Isak Robbers Ordered to Pay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts
Individuals of an Italian clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2m worth of items, including from ex- Newcastle United striker Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 each.
Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.
The group of four were imprisoned for from a decade or less in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie must hand over £1,135.
Particulars of the Break-ins
The court was told the group came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while using a separate vehicle to search for targets and carry out thefts.
On March 31 they stole over one million pounds of items such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.
The next evening, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and shoes valued at over £100,000.
Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.
The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their phones off as they approached their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.
Court Hearings and Rulings
Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all entered guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.
But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no assets or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the consequence if the sum was not submitted.
The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as driving around Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount outstanding".