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Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2m valued of goods, including from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

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

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

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

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the group came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute thefts.

On 31 March they took over £1m of goods such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth over £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then acted at the residence of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones off as they approached their targets and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no money or assets so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, 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 future, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".