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Members of an Italian clan of burglars who took over £1.2m valued of goods, including from ex- Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.

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

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Burglaries

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

On March 31 they took more than £1m of items including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth more than £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their mobile devices off as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the criminal gains hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their offenses 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 sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

The other three had no assets or property so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in prison the consequence if the money was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "for example operating Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".