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Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who took more than £1.2 million valued of items, including from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her son Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the gang came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they stole over one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The following night, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at more than £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as experienced touring thieves, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their phones off as they neared their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in prison the consequence if the sum was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a sports car or owning a home", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the sum outstanding".