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Members of an Italian family of thieves who took over £1.2m valued of items, among them from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela and her son Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

The foursome were jailed for between a decade or less in May 2025.

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

Details of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang came by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they stole more than £1m of items including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The following night, the gang entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

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, Ponteland on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, wore gloves and masks, switched their phones on silent as they approached their targets and attached a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

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

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims 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 authorities, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.

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