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Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who took more than £1.2m valued of goods, including from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

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

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

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

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while utilizing another car to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they took more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, jewellery and shoes worth over £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the consequence if the money was not submitted.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount due".