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Individuals of an Italy-based family of thieves who stole more than £1.2m valued of items, among them from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 per person.

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

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

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of items such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The following night, the gang broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes worth over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with two weeks to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the consequence if the sum was not submitted.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "recover the amount due".