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Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who stole over £1.2m valued of items, including from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 each.

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

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

At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Details of the Burglaries

The court was told the group came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service stations while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

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

The next evening, the crew broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, valuables and footwear worth over £100,000.

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 on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional itinerant thieves, used hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

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

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

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

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".