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Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who stole over £1.2m valued of items, among them from former Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 per person.

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

The group of four were imprisoned for from a decade or less in May 2025.

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the group came by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out targets and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of items including high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang entered a home on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth more than £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the home of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in cash, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional itinerant burglars, used hand coverings and face coverings, switched their phones off as they neared their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by 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 £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge was informed, with two weeks to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were directed to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "such as operating Italy in a fast car or owning a home", prosecutors could seek further action to "recover the amount due".