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Individuals of an Italian clan of thieves who took more than £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the north-east of England to raid three houses in spring 2024.

The group of four were jailed for from six and 10 years in May 2025.

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

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham rest stops while using another car to scout out targets and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they took over £1m of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, used hand coverings and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their targets and strapped 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 April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the amount of £1,266,285.93, 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 "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with two weeks to be served in prison if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the result if the sum was not submitted.

Judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount due".