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Members of an Italian family of thieves who took over £1.2 million valued of items, among them from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.

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

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of items including designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The following night, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at more than £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then acted at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their phones on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov 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, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or assets so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in prison the result if the sum was not submitted.

Judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".