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Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who took more than £1.2 million worth of items, including from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 each.

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

The group of four were imprisoned for between a decade or less in May 2025.

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

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service stations while utilizing another car to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they stole more than £1m of goods including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, valuables and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then acted at the home of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional itinerant thieves, used gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court was informed, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or assets so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "such as operating in Italy in a fast car or owning a home", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "recover the sum due".