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Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who took more than £1.2 million valued of goods, among them from former NUFC striker Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of England to raid three houses in April 2024.

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

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

Details of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while using a separate vehicle to scout out targets and carry out burglaries.

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

The next evening, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear worth more than £100,000.

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

The group, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, used gloves and face coverings, turned their phones off as they neared their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

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

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".