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

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.

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

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court was told the group came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and execute thefts.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of goods including high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then acted at the home of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced touring burglars, used gloves and face coverings, turned their phones off 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 car with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the only one found to have any money that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or property so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the money was not paid.

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