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Individuals of an Italian clan of burglars who stole more than £1.2m worth of items, among them from ex- NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return just £1 each.

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

The foursome were jailed for from six and 10 years in May 2025.

At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were ordered to pay back £1 each while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Details of the Burglaries

The judge was told the group arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service service stations while using another car to scout out targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they stole over £1m of goods including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a residence on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at more than £100,000.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Sweden player Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced touring thieves, used hand coverings and masks, switched their phones off as they approached their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all entered admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court heard, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

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

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the amount due".