🔗 Share this article

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

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in April 2024.

The group of four were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in 2025.

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

Details of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the gang came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing another car to scout out targets and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of items such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The following night, the crew entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at more than £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

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

But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge heard, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he defaulted.

The other three had no money or property so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example driving around in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".