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Individuals of an Italy-based family of thieves who stole over £1.2m valued of goods, among them from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime 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.

Details of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and execute thefts.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of goods such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then acted at the home of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, wore gloves and masks, turned their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court was informed, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

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

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