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

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their sister Jela Jovanovic and her son Charlie Jovanovic travelled to the north-east of England to raid multiple homes in spring 2024.

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

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge previously heard the gang came by boat in the UK on March 27, 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 search for targets and execute thefts.

On March 31 they took more than £1m of goods such as designer clothing, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the owners were away.

The following night, the gang broke into a house on a private road in Whitburn, and stole luxury bags, jewellery and footwear valued at more than £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as experienced touring burglars, used gloves and masks, turned their phones off as they approached 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.

Court Proceedings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the criminal gains session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", namely £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with 14 days to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were ordered to pay a token amount of £1 per person, with one week in prison the consequence if the sum was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "such as driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate further action to "recover the amount outstanding".