Isak Burglars Instructed to Pay Just £1 Each from £1.2 Million Heists
Members of an Italian clan of burglars who took over £1.2m worth of items, including from former Newcastle United striker Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.
Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.
The group of four were jailed for between a decade or less in May 2025.
At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.
Particulars of the Burglaries
The judge was told the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while using another car to scout out targets and carry out thefts.
On March 31 they stole more than £1m of goods such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.
The following night, the crew entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth over £100,000.
Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, used hand coverings and masks, turned their phones on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.
They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.
Legal Proceedings and Rulings
Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.
At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.
But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.
The other three had no assets or property so were directed to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the consequence if the sum was not paid.
Judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount due".