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

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

The group of four were jailed for between a decade or less in May 2025.

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

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court was told the gang arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while using another car to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they stole more than £1m of goods including high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The following night, the gang broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth over £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, used gloves and masks, switched 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 apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses 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 deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with two weeks to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in prison the result if the money was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".