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Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took more than £1.2m valued of goods, including from former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie travelled to the northeastern of England to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

At a criminal assets hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked 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, jewellery and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The following night, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at more than £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices on silent as they neared their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no money or assets so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the sum was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or possessing a property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "recover the sum outstanding".