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Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who stole over £1.2 million valued of goods, including from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

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

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

At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court was told the gang arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service stations while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out thefts.

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

The following night, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and shoes valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their phones off as they neared their objectives and strapped 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 area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or assets so were ordered to make 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 discovered with property in the coming years, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the sum outstanding".