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Members of an Italian family of thieves who stole over £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from former Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to raid three houses in April 2024.

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

At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute burglaries.

On March 31 they stole over £1m of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at over £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced touring thieves, used gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

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