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Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who stole over £1.2m worth of items, including from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

Brothers Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie journeyed to the north-east of the UK to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 per person while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Break-ins

The court previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they stole more than £1m of items such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and footwear worth over £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for two days, they then acted at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as professional touring burglars, used gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had denied conspiracy to burglary but was found guilty by jurors, while his family members had all entered admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one found to have any money that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in prison the result if the money was not submitted.

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