🔗 Share this article

Individuals of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2m worth of items, among them from ex- Newcastle United striker Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

The group of four were jailed for between six and 10 years in 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the group arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for targets and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they took over one million pounds of goods such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

The following night, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, wore gloves and masks, turned their phones on silent as they neared their targets and strapped 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 13 April.

Court Hearings and Rulings

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had profited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the judge heard, with two weeks to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no money or property so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in prison the result if the money was not submitted.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "such as driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".