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Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who stole more than £1.2m valued of items, including from former NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.

The foursome were imprisoned for between six and 10 years in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie must pay over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they took over one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and footwear worth over £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for two days, they then struck at the home of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional touring thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were arrested 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 the court, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

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

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the amount due".