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Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who stole more than £1.2m worth of items, among them from ex- Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

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

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

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the group came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

The following night, the crew entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for two days, they then struck at the home of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant thieves, used gloves and face coverings, switched their phones off as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal 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 submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 each, with one week in prison the consequence if the sum was not submitted.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".