Burglars jailed for between six and ten years after targeting Alexander Isak | OneFootball

Four burglars who targeted Alexander Isak have now been sentenced in court,

The quartet receiving sentences of between six and ten years.

The four Italian burglars had travelled to the UK last year and in April 2024 came to the region and targeted three homes, including that of Alexander Isak.

Before targeting Isak’s home, they had carried out surveillance near Newcastle United’s training ground for two days.

Apart from of course they fact that they have been caught and convicted, the only small other positive is that those involved were from outside the region, indeed from outside this country, rather than local people.

A family of Italian burglars who stole more than £1.2m worth of luxury goods from homes including that of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak have been jailed.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanoic and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the region to raid three houses in April 2024, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Daniel Cordey said the foursome, two of whom had been banned from Switzerland for thieving, were a professional gang of touring burglars.

Valentino, 32, who was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary, was jailed for 10 years while the others, who admitted their involvement, were imprisoned for between six and eight years each.

Mr Isak said the “attack” on his home had left him with a sense of unease.

The gang arrived in the UK on a ferry from Calais in the early hours of 27 March, the court heard, with the family travelling in a black Citroen C3 and a Ford campervan.

Their movements over the following days were tracked by SIM cards in their phones and the C3, as well as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, Mr Cordey said.

They parked their “base of operations” campervan at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while they used the C3 to scout out their targets and carry out the burglaries, the court heard.’

‘The total value of the stolen goods exceeded £1m, the prosecutor said, with the vast majority of it unrecovered.

The following night, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and shoes worth more than £100,000, the court heard.

They then spent two days near Newcastle United’s training ground, monitoring the movements of staff and players, before targeting Mr Isak’s home in Ponteland, the court heard.

On the evening of 4 April, the burglars smashed their way into the house on Middle Drive in Darrass Hall while the Swedish striker was visiting a teammate, the court heard.

They took an empty safe, which had been left by a previous owner, up to £10,000 in cash and “bespoke” jewellery worth £68,000, Mr Cordey said.

They also stole the footballer’s car keys so they could use his Audi RS6 as a battering ram to force open his gates, with the vehicle, worth £120,000, later found abandoned nearby, the court heard.

Mr Cordey said the gang wore gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they neared their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.

They escaped with their loot to the Walsall and Birmingham area, where their car was stopped and they were arrested on 13 April, the court heard.

Giacomo, 28, who was born in Napoli and had convictions for theft in Italy, was wearing a Rolex watch stolen from the home in Jesmond, the court heard.

Valentino, who was born in Milan and had links to an address in Birmingham, and his 22-year-old nephew Charlie, born in Brescia, had both been jailed in Switzerland for carrying out a burglary on Christmas Eve 2022, the court heard, with the pair then expelled from the country for five and seven years respectively.’

‘Club increased security’

‘In a statement read to the court, Mr Isak said the “attack” on his home had left him with a “sense of unease” every time he left and returned to the house.

None of the goods taken from his home were recovered, the court heard, apart from the safe which was found heavily damaged in the Birmingham area.

Newcastle United’s player liaison officer Glenn Patterson said he had always been “proud” to tell new and prospective recruits that the area was safe but the burglary of Mr Isak’s home was one of several against players in recent times.

He said the club had to invest heavily in security systems and patrols, with players fearing for the safety of their homes and families during matches and being instructed to “moderate” what they posted on social media.

“I’m not trying to be alarmist or over-reactive but these crimes have had an impact on the club which cannot be overstated,” Mr Patterson said, adding it affected player recruitment and retention.’