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Members of an Italian family of thieves who took more than £1.2 million valued of goods, among them from ex- Newcastle United forward Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of England to raid three houses in spring 2024.

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

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

Details of the Break-ins

The court was told the gang came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of items including designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The following night, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's training ground for two days, they then acted at the home of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, wore gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were directed to make a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.

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