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Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who took more than £1.2m worth of goods, including from former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of England to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.

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

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at the court, Jela Jovanovic and the brothers Nikolov were ordered to pay back £1 per person while Charlie Jovanovic must pay over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court was told the group arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out burglaries.

On March 31 they took over £1m of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took luxury bags, valuables and shoes valued at over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's facility for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in money, £68,000 valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The group, who were portrayed by prosecutors as experienced touring thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices off as they approached their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by police, the court heard, with two weeks to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were ordered to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the result if the sum was not submitted.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek further action to "satisfy the amount outstanding".