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Members of an Italian clan of thieves who stole more than £1.2 million valued of items, among them from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of the UK to raid three houses in spring 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court was told the group arrived by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using another car to search for targets and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they stole more than £1m of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the gang broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking ten thousand pounds in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as experienced touring thieves, wore gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

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

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

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no assets or assets so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in prison the consequence if the money was not submitted.

Judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the future, "such as driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a property", the prosecution could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum due".