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Members of an Italian family of burglars who stole more than £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 each.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

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

Details of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the group came by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they took more than one million pounds of goods such as designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

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

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for two days, they then acted at the residence of Sweden striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, used gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars 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 was the sole individual found to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or property so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not submitted.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "satisfy the sum due".