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Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who took more than £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 per person.

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

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

At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute burglaries.

On March 31 they stole more than £1m of goods including high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The following night, the crew broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, valuables and footwear valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, used hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones off as they neared their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or property so were ordered to pay a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the result if the money was not paid.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "such as operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the amount due".