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Members of an Italian family of burglars who took more than £1.2m valued of items, among them from ex- Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

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

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

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service service stations while using another car to search for properties and execute thefts.

On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The following night, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their mobile devices off as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer the prosecution said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated 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 make a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in prison the consequence if the sum was not submitted.

The judge Spragg said if they were found with property in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount due".