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Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took more than £1.2 million valued of goods, including from ex- NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.

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

The group of four were imprisoned for between six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Details of the Burglaries

The court was told the group came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they took over £1m of items such as designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, used gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they neared their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle 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 the court, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court heard, with two weeks to be spent 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 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the sum was not submitted.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as driving around in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount due".