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Members of an Italian family of burglars who took over £1.2 million worth of items, including from former Newcastle United striker Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

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

On 31 March they took more than £1m of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes worth over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional itinerant thieves, used gloves and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino 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 proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey 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 victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no money or assets so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "for example operating Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".