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Individuals of an Italian family of thieves who took over £1.2 million valued of items, among them from ex- NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.

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

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

At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang arrived by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while using a separate vehicle to scout out properties and execute burglaries.

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

The following night, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth over £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's facility for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, wore hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones on silent as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

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

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the burglars 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 was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with two weeks to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no money or property so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in prison the result if the money was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount due".