🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took over £1.2 million worth of items, including from former Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

The group of four were jailed for from a decade or less in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the gang came by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service service stations while using a separate vehicle to scout out targets and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of items such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

The following night, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices off as they approached their targets and strapped 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 area on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

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

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The other three had no money or property so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not submitted.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "recover the amount due".