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

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in April 2024.

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

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

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the group came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to scout out targets and execute burglaries.

On March 31 they took over £1m of items such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth more than £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's facility for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as professional touring thieves, used hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

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

At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their crimes to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court heard, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in prison the result if the money was not submitted.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "for example operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount due".