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Individuals of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2m valued of goods, among them from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie travelled to the north-east of England to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for from a decade or less in May 2025.

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the group came by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and execute thefts.

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

The following night, the crew broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth over £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the home of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in money, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones off as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in prison the consequence if the money was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount due".