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Individuals of an Italian family of thieves who stole over £1.2m valued of goods, among them from former Newcastle United striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

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

Details of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the gang came by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while using another car to search for targets and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they stole more than £1m of items including high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

The following night, the crew broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced touring burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices off as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

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 police, the judge heard, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no assets or property so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not submitted.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example operating Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".