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Individuals of an Italy-based clan of burglars who took more than £1.2 million valued of goods, among them from ex- NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the northeastern of the UK to burgle three houses in April 2024.

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

At a criminal assets hearing at the court, Jela and the brothers Nikolov were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The court was told the gang arrived by boat in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to scout out targets and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of goods such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The following night, the crew broke into a home on a private road in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear valued at over £100,000.

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

The group, who were described by prosecutors as experienced itinerant thieves, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their phones off as they neared their targets and attached a license plate, which had been stolen from a garage in a town, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

Valentino had pleaded not guilty to the burglary plot but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had profited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the only one found to have any funds that could be "realised", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in prison if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were directed to make a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in prison the result if the sum was not paid.

The judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "for example operating Italy in a sports car or owning a property", prosecutors could seek new proceedings to "recover the sum due".