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Individuals of an Italian family of burglars who took over £1.2 million valued of items, among them from ex- Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of the UK to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.

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

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the gang came by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and execute thefts.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, valuables and shoes worth over one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones on silent as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not submitted.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as driving around in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "satisfy the amount due".