🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italian clan of burglars who stole over £1.2 million valued of items, including from former Newcastle United striker Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of England to raid three houses in April 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Details of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to search for targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they took more than one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

The following night, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear worth over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's facility for two days, they then acted at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional itinerant burglars, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent as they approached their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the only one found to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or assets so were directed to make a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum due".