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Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who stole more than £1.2 million worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to raid three houses in April 2024.

The group of four were imprisoned for between six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the gang arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they stole more than one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The following night, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and took luxury bags, valuables and shoes valued at over £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones off as they approached their targets and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was found guilty by the court, while his family members had all entered guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

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

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "for example driving around in Italy in a sports car or possessing a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "satisfy the amount outstanding".