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Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who stole more than £1.2 million worth of items, including from former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 each.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie Jovanovic journeyed to the north-east of the UK to burgle three houses in spring 2024.

The foursome were jailed for between six and 10 years in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela Jovanovic and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to pay back £1 each while Charlie must hand over £1,135.

Details of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang arrived by boat in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a RV as their "base of operations", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while using another car to scout out properties and execute burglaries.

On 31 March they stole more than one million pounds of goods including high-end fashion, purses, jewelry and a CBE medal from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the crew broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and stole designer handbags, valuables and footwear worth over £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for 48 hours, they then acted at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, sixty-eight thousand pounds valued of jewellery and the striker's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The group, who were described by prosecutors as professional touring thieves, wore hand coverings and face coverings, turned their mobile devices off as they neared their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the burglars 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 found to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had already been seized by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.

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

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