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Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who took over £1.2m valued of goods, among them from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of the UK to raid three houses in spring 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court was told the gang arrived by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while using another car to search for targets and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

The following night, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at over 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, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones on silent as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Court Hearings and Rulings

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey 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 lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not submitted.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", the prosecution could initiate further action to "satisfy the sum outstanding".