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Members of an Italian family of thieves who stole more than £1.2m worth of goods, including from former Newcastle United striker Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

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

The foursome were jailed for from a decade or less in May 2025.

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

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while using a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they took over £1m of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The following night, the crew entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones off as they approached their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

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

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

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

The other three had no assets or property so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not submitted.

Judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example operating Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "recover the sum due".