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Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took over £1.2m worth of goods, including from former NUFC forward Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 each.

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

The foursome were jailed for between a decade or less in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court was told the group arrived by boat 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 rest stops while using another car to search for properties and execute thefts.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

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

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, used gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices off as they approached their targets and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes 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 deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

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

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate further action to "recover the sum due".