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Individuals of an Italy-based family of thieves who stole over £1.2 million worth of goods, including from former Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of the UK to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for between a decade or less in May 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The court was told the group came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while using another car to search for targets and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they stole more than £1m of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

The following night, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones off as they approached their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all entered guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate further action to "recover the sum due".