Newcastle United footballer Alexander Isak's home raided by family of four, court told
Football star Alexander Isak had £68K worth of jewellery and up to £10K in cash swiped by a family of four who raided his mansion, a court has heard.
The gang are said to have targeted the Newcastle United striker's home as part of a wider conspiracy to commit burglary in which two other plush homes were also broken into.
Jurors heard Isak wasn't in at the time of the raid but when he returned home at 10pm on April 4 last year he found his outside bins in his TV room.
The Swede then discovered thousands of pounds worth of property was missing from his home in the upmarket Darras Hall area of Northumberland, Newcastle Crown Court was told.
The 25-year-old's Audi sports car was also taken in the raid but later recovered, jurors heard.Brothers Valentino Nikolov, 32, and Giacomo Nikolov, 28, their sister Jela Jovanovic, 43, and her son Charlie Jovanovic, 23, were later traced by police and arrested.
Valentino Nikolov denies conspiracy to commit burglary, which the other three have already admitted, and is standing trial.
Nikolov is appearing at Newcastle Crown Court alongside his co-defendant and ex father-in-law Safet Ramic, 58, who is accused of handling a safe stolen from Isak's house.
As part of the same burglary charge, Nikolov denies raiding a property in leafy Jesmond, Newcastle, where £1 million worth of property was stolen.
He is also said to have struck with the group at a separate house in Whitburn, South Tyneside where designer goods valued at over £100,000 were taken.
Jurors were told that Nikolov arrived in the country via a ferry to Dover from Calais with his three relatives on March 27.
They are said to have made their way north in convoy via a Ford motorhome and Citroen C3 which were captured on CCTV. The court heard the family were residents of Italy, but their nationality is unknown.Mobile phone cell sites were used to pinpoint their movements, jurors were told.
Prosecutor Daniel Cordey said: "It is the prosecution case that they all travelled to the North East together as part of that conspiracy or agreement to commit high value targeted burglaries of residential properties.
"Once in the North East, the Citroen C3, a black small car, was used then to travel to and from the burglaries"It is claimed the motorhome was used as a base to sleep in and the Citroen was driven to and from the raids.
Jurors were told the raid of Isak's mansion was the last of the three break-ins.
Outlining the details, Mr Cordey said: "That property was left unoccupied between 1600 hours and 10pm on the 4th of April of 2024.
"The burglary was discovered when the Mr Isak returned just after 10pm. He found his bins had been moved and entry had been gained by smashing a glass door leading from the back of the property to the TV room.
"Inside an untidy search had taken place and cash to the value of between £5,000 and £10,000 had been stolen together with with jewellery valued at about £68,000.
"A Dudley safe left by the previous occupant was also stolen from the property.
"The keys to Mr Isak's motor vehicle were also taken. It was an Audi, it was then stolen but later found abandoned after a report from a member of the public who called the police.
"Inside the property was CCTV. That CCTV showed three men in the living room."One of those males, the prosecution says, can be identified as Giacomo Nikolov. He's wearing distinctive tracksuit bottoms with a PSG football club logo on the right leg.
"He can also be seen wearing the same tracksuit bottoms, that's Jacamo, on clear CCTV footage from Durham Services earlier the same day.
"The police were subsequently able to trace the movement of the defendants in respect of that burglary."
A head torch was later found, believed to have been worn by one of the four during the raid.
The prosecution say Ramic became involved by assisting the other four in moving the safe taken from Isak's address which was covered by a blanket.
Jurors were told that the first of the burglaries took place at Clayton House in Jesmond, Newcastle, where homeowners Michael and Helen McCardle had left to go on holiday on March 30, 2024.
The following day a maintenance manager discovered the home had been broken into via the first floor, the court heard.
Further searches revealed the disappearance of a CBE medal along with gold coins, watches, and designer clothes and handbags, jurors were told.Nikolov is then accused of raiding a house in the gated cul-de-sac of Woodlands Grove in Whitburn, around 15 miles from Newcastle.
The homeowner Stephanie Stokoe returned to the address at 3pm on April 1 to find her patio doors open and over £100k of goods including designer clothing missing, the court heard.
Mr Cordey told jurors that the Ford motorhome was found almost two weeks later in Birmingham and inside officers found designer handbags and purses linked to the crimes.
On April 13, the Citroen C3 was tracked to Walsall in the West Midlands where the occupants changed the number plates, it is claimed.
The vehicle was pursued but stopped and inside were Nikolov, who was the driver, and the other three relatives, the court heard.
The safe taken from Isak's home was recovered on Longlands Lane in Walsall with significant damage, jurors were told.
During his prosecution opening, Mr Cordey added: "This was a professional group of travelling burglars consisting of one female and three men.
"Two of those men and one female have admitted their part. There is no other candidate for the final man other than Valentino Nikolov.”
Nikolov, now of Tew Park Road, Birmingham, denies conspiracy to commit burglary.
Ramic, of Winson Street, also Birmingham, denies handling the proceeds of burglaries knowing or believing them to be stolen.
The trial continues.