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Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2 million worth of goods, including from former 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 travelled to the north-east of the UK to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.

The foursome were jailed for between a decade or less in 2025.

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewelry and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

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 £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced touring thieves, wore gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had profited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.

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

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "recover the amount outstanding".