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Individuals of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took more than £1.2m valued of items, among them from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of the UK to raid three houses in spring 2024.

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must hand over £1,135.

Details of the Burglaries

The court was told the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for targets and execute burglaries.

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

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, jewellery and shoes valued at over £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for two days, they then acted at the residence of Swedish player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional itinerant thieves, used hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices on silent as they neared their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, 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 "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he failed to pay.

The other three had no money or property so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 per person, with one week in prison the result 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 fast car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".