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Members of an Italian clan of burglars who stole over £1.2 million worth of items, including from ex- Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her son Charlie journeyed to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at the court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to repay £1 each while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to search for properties and execute burglaries.

On March 31 they took over one million pounds of items including designer clothing, handbags, jewelry and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the player's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, wore gloves and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Hearings and Sentencing

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

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

But Charlie Jovanovic was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge was informed, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".