Alexander Isak tells housebreaking trial of second he realized baggage of £10,000 money, £68,000 of jewelry and his automobile had been stolen

Alexander Isak has told how he returned home to find his car, expensive jewellery and bags of cash had been stolen.

The Newcastle United star’s home in Darras Hall was targeted in a series of high value heists by a team of professional burglars, Newcastle Crown Court has heard. 

Businesswoman Helen McArdle and her husband lost property worth more than £1m during a raid on their Jesmond house while they were on holiday.

Three members of the same family, who had been living in Italy, have admitted conspiracy to commit burglary, the court heard. 

A fourth family member, Valentino Nikolov, 32, denies the charge and is standing trial.

A statement was read to jurors from Mr Isak, who said he was burgled on April 4 last year between 4pm and 10pm. 

He said he left the house locked and secure but when he got back: ‘I noticed my bins at the front of the property and this is not where I left them, which was by the gate.’

He said he found a glass door had been smashed and personal property was strewn around. 

Alexander Isak was targeted by a gang of burglars who are said to have carried out a string of high-value break-ins last spring

Isak is believed to be the third victim of the gang, who had already stolen jewellery and clothes worth more than £1milliion from a local businessman

He added: ‘Upstairs in a bedroom I keep cash in bags and this had been stolen. This was £5,000 to £10,000 in cash in notes and coins.’ 

Mr Isak said a metal safe had been stolen from one of the bedrooms but he said that had been left by a previous tenant and he didn’t know what, if anything, it contained as he had not been able to gain access to it.

He added that his Audi RS6 estate and its keys were stolen. In a second statement, Mr Isak said he had identified that jewellery had been stolen from the main bedroom. 

He said: ‘This was bespoke jewellery with an approximate value of £68,000.’ He said the men’s jewellery included necklaces, bracelets and rings.

Mr Isak said on April 21 last year he was shown pictures of a safe recovered by police which he said was visually consistent with the safe that had been in his house. It had been damaged to force it open by the time the pictures were taken. 

Mr Isak said: ‘The safe stolen from my home did not have such damage and this must have been caused after the burglary.’

Dan Cordey, prosecuting, said the Newcastle United player’s home, in Darras Hall, was broken into in April 2024

Safet Ramic, who is the 58-year-old father of Valentino Nikolov’s former partner, denies handling stolen goods. He is pictured here outside Newcastle Crown Court

A statement was also read from Helen McArdle, whose four-storey home in Jesmond was burgled while she and her husband were on holiday in Spain. 

She said the offenders ‘stole a large amount of items’, including jewellery, watches, handbags and clothing.

They also took a safe which contained her CBE, which she said is ‘irreplaceable’ and gold coins. Mrs McArdle said the estimated value of the stolen items is more than £1m.

She listed various items which were stolen, including watches worth up to £50,000 each, a diamond ring worth more than £100,000, a diamond pendant worth £35,000 and diamond earrings worth £45,000.

Nikolov, of Tew Park Road, Birmingham, denies conspiracy to commit burglary.. His brother Giacomo Nikolov, 28, his sister Jela Jovanovic, 43, and her son Charlie Jovanovic, 23, who all reside in Italy, have admitted conspiracy to commit burglary.

Safet Ramic, who is the 58-year-old father of Valentino Nikolov’s former partner, and who is from Winson Street, Birmingham, denies handling stolen goods.

The trial continues.