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Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who took over £1.2m valued of goods, including from former NUFC forward Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 each.

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

The group of four were imprisoned for between a decade or less in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the group arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham rest stops while using another car to search for properties and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of goods including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The following night, the crew broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

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

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a home", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount due".