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Members of an Italian clan of thieves who took more than £1.2 million worth of goods, including from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.

The group of four were jailed for from six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for targets and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they took more than £1m of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

The following night, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and shoes worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional itinerant thieves, used gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and attached a license plate, which had been stolen 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 Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, 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 coming years, "such as operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".