Four Croatian nationals have been charged with breaking into Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak’s luxury home in Darras Hall and stealing £1 million worth of clothing and jewelry from two other properties in Jesmond and Whitburn. The defendants, three men and a woman, have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burgle the three homes between March 26 and April 5, 2023. They will stand trial in September at Newcastle Crown Court, where they appeared with the assistance of an Italian interpreter.
Judge Paul Sloan KC has remanded the four defendants in custody and adjourned their cases for trial on September 9th of this year. He has scheduled further pre-trial hearings on July 9th and August 15th to ensure that everything is in order for the September trial.
The judge stressed that if the defendants have committed any offenses related to these allegations, the sooner they inform the court, the better for them. He explained that the earlier they admit to any wrongdoing, the more credit they will receive, and the less severe their punishment will be, meaning they will spend less time in prison. Conversely, the longer they wait to tell the court if they have committed any offenses, the worse it will be for them, and the longer they will spend in prison.
Alexander Isak and his family were not present during the alleged raid on their Darras Hall home on April 4th. Police report that cash and a car were stolen, with the vehicle later found abandoned in a remote area of Northumberland.
Detectives investigating the burglary in Darras Hall and break-ins at homes on Clayton Road in Jesmond and Woodlands Grove in Whitburn launched an operation to track down those responsible. The operation was led by the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) with support from Northumbria Police, Staffordshire Police, West Midlands Police, and Opal, the national intelligence unit focused on serious organized acquisitive crime.
During the break-in on Clayton Road in Jesmond on March 31st, designer clothing and jewelry worth more than £1 million were stolen. In the Whitburn burglary, designer wear and jewelry worth more than £100,000 were taken, according to police.
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