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Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2m valued of items, among them from ex- NUFC forward Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using another car to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The following night, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at more than £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant thieves, wore gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the result if the money was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a home", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".