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Members of an Italian clan of thieves who took more than £1.2m valued of goods, including from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to return only £1 each.

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

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

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing another car to search for properties and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were away.

The following night, the gang broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes valued at more than £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as experienced itinerant burglars, wore gloves and masks, switched their phones off as they neared their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the amount of over £1.2 million, 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", specifically over a thousand pounds which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to make a token amount of £1 each, with one week in prison the result if the sum was not submitted.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".