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Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who stole more than £1.2m valued of items, including from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.

The foursome were jailed for from six and 10 years in 2025.

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

Particulars of the Break-ins

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

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods including high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The following night, the gang entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, valuables and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced touring burglars, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value 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 "realised", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or assets so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not submitted.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the amount outstanding".