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Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who took over £1.2 million worth of goods, including from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for between six and 10 years in 2025.

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

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court was told the group arrived by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to search for targets and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they stole over one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

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

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

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their phones off as they neared their targets and attached a number plate, which had been stolen 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 pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

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 prison if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or assets so were ordered 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 discovered with property in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "satisfy the amount due".