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Members of an Italian clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in April 2024.

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

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

Details of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they took over £1m of items including designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the gang broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional itinerant burglars, used gloves and face coverings, switched their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Hearings 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 submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor 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 victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no money or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in prison the result if the sum was not submitted.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount due".