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Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2 million worth of items, including from former NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of England to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Burglaries

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

On March 31 they stole more than £1m of goods including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

The following night, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and shoes worth over £100,000.

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

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "such as operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a home", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum due".