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Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who stole over £1.2m valued of items, among them from ex- Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

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

The group of four were imprisoned for between six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Burglaries

The court was told the gang came by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they took over one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, valuables and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then acted at the residence of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced touring burglars, wore gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Court Hearings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants 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 deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court was informed, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or assets so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the money was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".