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Members of an Italian clan of thieves who stole over £1.2 million worth of goods, including from former NUFC striker Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of the UK to raid three houses in April 2024.

The group of four were jailed for from six and 10 years in 2025.

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

Details of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to scout out targets and carry out burglaries.

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

The next evening, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, wore gloves and face coverings, switched their phones off as they approached their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Hearings and Rulings

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

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes 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 sole individual found to have any money that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the money was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "for example operating Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could initiate further action to "recover the amount outstanding".