Alexander Isak Robbers Ordered to Repay Only £1 Per Person from £1.2m Thefts
Members of an Italian family of burglars who stole more than £1.2 million worth of items, including from ex- NUFC forward Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 each.
Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of the UK to raid three houses in April 2024.
The group of four were jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.
Details of the Break-ins
The judge was told the group came by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.
On 31 March they took over one million pounds of items including designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.
The following night, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes worth over £100,000.
After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.
The group, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their phones on silent as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.
They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.
Legal Hearings and Sentencing
Valentino had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the same charge.
At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.
But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with two weeks to be served in prison if he defaulted.
The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the sum was not submitted.
The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "recover the sum due".