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Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2 million valued of goods, among them from former Newcastle United striker Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to raid three houses in spring 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for from a decade or less in May 2025.

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the gang came by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while using another car to scout out targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they stole over one million pounds of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The following night, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and shoes valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, used gloves and face coverings, switched their phones on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

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

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

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 court heard, with 14 days to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no assets or property so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 each, with one week in prison the consequence if the money was not submitted.

Judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a property", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".