🔗 Share this article

Members of an Italian family of burglars who took over £1.2m valued of items, including from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 each.

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

The group of four were imprisoned for from six and 10 years in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang came by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they stole over £1m of items such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the crew broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at more than £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's facility for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent 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 elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had profited 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 sole individual found to have any money that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the result if the sum was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", the prosecution could initiate further action to "recover the sum due".