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Members of an Italy-based clan of thieves who stole over £1.2m valued of goods, including from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back only £1 each.

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

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

At a criminal assets proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie Jovanovic must pay £1,135.

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang came by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out properties and carry out burglaries.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods including designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

The next evening, the gang entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The gang, who were portrayed by prosecutors as professional touring thieves, used hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices off as they neared their targets and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the amount of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the judge heard, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he failed to pay.

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

The judge Spragg said if they were found with assets in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek further action to "recover the sum due".