When news broke about a gang of Italian burglars stealing nearly £200,000 from football star Alexander Isak, people expected a hefty financial punishment.
But the reality has left many scratching their heads: the criminals have been ordered to pay back a measly £1 each.
The Northumberland Heist That Shocked Fans
In April 2024, Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, along with their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie, broke into Isak’s sprawling Northumberland mansion.
Their haul was eye-watering: £10,000 in cash, jewellery worth £68,000, and the footballer’s prized Audi RS6, valued at £120,000.
The quartet’s crime spree didn’t stop there—they had already stolen over £1 million worth of goods from other victims across the UK.
Jail Time Finally Catches Up With Them
The gang was caught and sentenced in May 2024, with jail terms ranging between six and ten years.
Despite the severity of their crimes, the court’s financial orders have been surprisingly minimal.
The Nikolov siblings were ordered to pay just £1 each, while Charlie Jovanovic—the only one deemed able to pay more—must return £1,135, according to Newcastle Crown Court proceedings.
Judge Robert Spragg explained that the tiny repayment sums reflected the criminals’ lack of assets.
However, he noted that if any of them were found with money in the future, prosecutors could reopen proceedings to recover what is owed.
A Trail of Thefts Across the UK
The gang’s UK crime spree began when they arrived by ferry from Calais to Dover in March 2024, traveling in a Citroen C3 and a Ford motorhome.
After heading to London, they drove north to the North East.
On March 31, they struck a home in Jesmond, Newcastle, stealing over £1 million in goods while the owners, Helen and Michael McCardle, were on holiday.
Among the items taken was Helen McCardle’s CBE medal, along with luxury clothes, jewellery, gold coins, and designer handbags.
The very next day, April 1, another house in Whitburn, South Tyneside, became their target.
They made off with designer handbags, shoes, and jewellery valued at over £100,000.
The Road to Arrest
Police confirmed that a vehicle was taken from Isak’s property in Darras Hall, later found abandoned in Dissington.
The criminals were finally apprehended near Birmingham on April 13, 2024, bringing an end to a whirlwind of high-profile burglaries across the country.
What Comes Next?
With jail sentences already in place and the paltry financial repayments ordered, many are left wondering if justice has truly been served.
As Judge Spragg noted, any future discovery of assets could trigger new legal action, keeping the door open for further consequences.
For now, though, the gang remains behind bars, and victims are still left to come to terms with the scale of their losses.
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