Isak targeted by burglars who stole £68,000 of jewellery, court told
A 'professional group of travelling burglars' broke into the Newcastle striker Alexander Isak's home and stole his car, jewellery worth about £68,000 and up to £10,000 in cash, a court has heard. The Sweden international was not in the house in Northumberland when the gang broke in through a glass door last April.
The thieves had already stolen jewellery and clothes worth more than £1m from a Tyneside businesswoman and designer goods worth £100,000 from a woman living on Wearside in the previous days, the court heard. Three members of the same family, living in Italy, have admitted conspiracy to commit burglary. A fourth family member, Valentino Nikolov, 32, denies the charge.
Dan Cordey, prosecuting, said Isak left his home between 4pm and 10pm on 4 April and discovered the break-in when he returned and saw his bins had been moved. The gang broke into his TV room and 'inside an untidy search took place', Cordey said.
Cash between £5,000 and £10,000 was taken, along with jewellery worth about £68,000 and Isak's Audi car, which a member of the public later found abandoned, jurors were told. The gang also took a safe, which had been left by the home's previous occupant, although it did not contain anything valuable, Cordey said. CCTV images of the break-in were recorded on what Cordey described as a 'doggy cam'.
He said: 'This was a professional group of travelling burglars. It contained one female and three men, all related. Two of those men and one female have admitted their part in pleading guilty.' Cordey said the fourth man was Valentino Nikolov.
The gang arrived in the UK via a ferry from Calais to Dover in a Citroën C3 and a Ford motorhome last March. They headed to London, then drove to the north-east a few days later, the court heard. The gang used the Citroën to travel to break-ins and the motorhome was a base where they slept, the prosecution claimed.
Nikolov, from Birmingham, is representing himself and requires an Italian interpreter. Jurors have been told his brother Giacomo Nikolov, 28, his sister Jela Jovanovic, 43, and her son Charlie Jovanovic, 23, who live in Italy, have admitted conspiracy to commit burglary.
Safet Ramic, the father of Valentino Nikolov's former partner, denies handling stolen goods. The trial continues.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
20 minutes ago
- ITV News
Teenager who deliberately ran over police officer in Cheadle detained for 31 months
A teenager who deliberately ran over a police officer and then "cowardly" fled the scene has been detained for 31 months. Harvey Bell, 19, drove at PC Tracy Hallworth, knocking her to the ground, before running over her legs. The uniformed officer from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and a male colleague had responded to reports that four men were taking drugs in a black Audi at Sainsbury's car park on Wilmslow Road, Cheadle at about 11.30pm on 25 January. But as officers approached the car, Bell reversed the Audi a short distance away before PC Hallworth stood two metres in front of the vehicle and ordered him to stop. Prosecutor Sacha Waxman told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that Bell ignored the officer and accelerated forward. PC Hallworth, 54, suffered a dislocated kneecap and a wound to her wrist and was taken to hospital after she lost consciousness at the scene. She was off work for a fortnight and although she had recovered from her physical injuries the psychological impact remains, the court heard. Reading out her victim personal statement in court, PC Hallworth said: 'Bell drove off not knowing if I was dead or alive. "It haunts me that if I fell the other way he would have gone over my head and I might not be here. 'I will never forgive Bell for the upset he caused my family. What he did to me is permanently in the back of my mind on every job I go to. 'Thanks to the support of my family and my GMP family, Bell has not been able to take away the thing I love most, my job as a police officer. 'An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all.' Bell, of previous good character, was said by his barrister, Rebecca Penfold to have expressed his 'significant remorse'. He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. However, Judge Jenny Lester-Ashworth noted that assertion was 'at odds' with his pre-sentence report which said he felt a 'sense of injustice' that he had been held on remand in custody since he handed himself in the following day. She told the defendant: 'You must have known you had hit her, but you cowardly left the scene. 'You could have killed her.' Bell, from Knutsford, Cheshire will serve his sentence in a Young Offender Institution and has been banned from driving for two years and ordered to take an extended retest. Following sentencing, Victoria Agullo, senior crown prosecutor for CPS North West, said: 'Assaults against frontline officers are totally unacceptable and today's sentence for Harvey Bell should leave those who would use a car as a weapon in no doubt that they will face the full force of the law.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Armie Hammer reunites with ex-wife and kids for milestone... after scary cannibalism scandal
Armie Hammer had a rare reunion with his ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers to celebrate an important milestone with their eight-year-old son Ford. The 38-year-old actor and his 42-year-old ex Chambers share two children together, Ford and 10-year-old daughter Harper. The Social Network star and his entrepreneur/TV personality wife were married from 2010 until their split in 2020, with their divorce finalized in 2023, amid his cannibalism scandal. The exes have been co-parenting their children since the split, and they came together to celebrate Ford completing the second grade. Chambers shared a joyful snap of the exes and their kids, with Chambers sharing his second grade completion certificate. 'Happy 2nd Grade Step-Up Fordy Boy!' the doting mom said in the snap, with her son holding on to the family's dog. Armie was seen smiling in the snap with his arm around Harper, donning a black t-shirt, black pants and holding a black coat. Chambers donned a stylish black and white striped dress along with gold bracelets and gold earrings for the outing. Hammer shot to fame after playing the Winklevoss Twins in 2010's The Social Network, that was instrumental in launching his career. That rising career quickly came crashing down in 2021 when multiple accusations of sexual assault, rape and even cannibalism surfaced. While the LAPD launched an investigation, no charges were filed against the actor, who has admitted to consensual BDSM and emotional abuse, but denies all sexual assault and cannibalism charges, which stemmed from a woman named Courtney Vucekovich who alleged he said he wanted to cook and eat one of her ribs. Chambers recently promoted her upcoming show Toxic on The Today Show, where she admitted that things were great with her ex and children. 'They're amazing. We're amazing. I think we've never been stronger as a family,' Chambers said. 'This show touches on domestic violence, it touches on really unhealthy patterns. For me, I just experienced betrayal,' she said of her relationship with Hammer. 'But in that process, I really learned so much about patterns and how parenting, really it comes down to parenting,' Chambers added. 'It comes down to humanity and psychology and all of those interesting things,' she said, while admitting she's not a fan of the term 'co-parenting.' 'I don't love that word co-parenting, right? I think we're just parents and everyone is just parenting as well as they can with what they have,' Chambers said. 'Our family is, again, so strong and better than ever. But for me, divorce in itself is just trauma, Chambers admitted.
Glasgow Times
6 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Johnstone man made £442k during time as drug dealer
Dale Templeton, 29, made a total of £442,000 in ill-gotten gains during his time as a drug dealer. The news emerged during a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh. Prosecutors had taken Templeton, who is currently serving a three-and-a-half-year jail term, back to court for a proceeds of crime action. However, the action was brought to an end after prosecutors and Templeton's defence team agreed on the sums that he made during his criminal conduct. Prosecutor Bryan Heaney told judge Alison Stirling that Templeton only had £143,016.14 available to hand over to the authorities at this point in time. Templeton, of Johnstone, appeared at the High Court in Glasgow last year to plead guilty to a charge of being concerned in supplying cocaine. On that occasion, the court heard how he tried to flee from police and had thrown a bag of cocaine worth £150,000 from his car. READ MORE: 'You will pay a heavy price': Pair used weapons to assault four strangers in Glasgow The court heard how Templeton had reversed at speed in his Audi A3 after spotting officers in Penilee, Glasgow, on April 14, 2023. Prosecutor Eilidh Robertson told how he initially bashed into a motor, and refused to stop before mounting a pavement and colliding with a police car. The High Court in Glasgow heard how Templeton then escaped from the Audi and ran off. But he was soon caught having been seen to throw a plastic bag away. It was picked up and officers found high-purity cocaine with a maximum potential value of £149,600. A total of more than £1,000 in cash was also seized after Templeton was held. Templeton pleaded guilty to a charge of being concerned in the supply of cocaine. It emerged he already had a previous drugs conviction. READ MORE: Former Celtic star has court case thrown out by prosecutors The court heard Templeton had been in serious financial issues at the time. Defence lawyer Paul Mullen said: "On the day in question, he was employed (in the offence) to reduce some of the debt that was owed. "This was not the first occasion that he was concerned in the supply of drugs. "This was an enterprise that he went into with his eyes wide open and it came to the attention of the police." Mr Mullen added Templeton was "not a silly man" which had involved him working with a mental health organisation "which he has benefitted from'. Lord Arthurson said a prison term had to be imposed and he sentenced Templeton to three and a half years. Judge Alison Stirling ordered the sum of £143,016.14 to be handed over to the authorities. Prosecutors can return to court at any time in the near future to recover more sum if they identify assets linked to Templeton's offending.
