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Individuals of an Italy-based family of burglars who took over £1.2m valued of items, including from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to raid three houses in April 2024.

The group of four were jailed for between a decade or less in May 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the group came by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while using another car to scout out targets and execute thefts.

On 31 March they took over £1m of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

The following night, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the home of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as professional itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones on silent as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in prison the consequence if the money was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", the prosecution could initiate further action to "recover the amount due".