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Individuals of an Italy-based clan of thieves who took more than £1.2m worth of goods, among them from ex- NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been ordered to return only £1 each.

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

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

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

Details of the Burglaries

The court previously heard the group arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they parked at a service area and Durham service rest stops while using another car to scout out properties and execute thefts.

On March 31 they stole over one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The following night, the gang entered a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth over one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Swedish player Mr Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, taking £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional itinerant burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices off as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their car with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by the court, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had benefited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the court heard, with two weeks to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or property so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in incarceration the result if the money was not submitted.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the future, "for example driving around Italy in a fast car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount due".