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Individuals of an Italy-based family of thieves who took over £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC forward Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in April 2024.

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

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

Details of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the group came by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service stations while using a separate vehicle to search for targets and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth over one hundred thousand pounds.

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

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 rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

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

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court was informed, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he defaulted.

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

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "such as operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".