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Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took over £1.2 million worth of items, among them from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of the UK to raid multiple homes in April 2024.

The foursome were jailed for between six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime hearing at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the group arrived by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing another car to search for targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The following night, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and shoes valued at over £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and masks, switched their phones off as they neared their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

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

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or assets so were directed to make a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in prison the result if the money was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum due".