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Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took more than £1.2 million valued of goods, including from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 per person.

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

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the group arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed 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 took more than one million pounds of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the home of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional itinerant thieves, used gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

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

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