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Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who took over £1.2 million worth of items, among them from former NUFC forward Alexander Isak, have been mandated to pay back just £1 each.

Brothers Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela Jovanovic and her child Charlie journeyed to the north-east of England to burgle multiple homes in April 2024.

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

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

Details of the Break-ins

The judge previously heard the group arrived by ferry in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "headquarters", which they parked at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while utilizing another car to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of items including high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a honor from a house on Clayton Road in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the owners were away.

The following night, the crew broke into a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes valued at more than £100,000.

Following surveillance of the football club's facility for two days, they then acted at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in cash, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the player's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The group, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, used hand coverings and masks, turned their phones off as they approached their targets and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a garage in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were arrested in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime hearing, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said each of the burglars had profited from their crimes to the amount of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie was the sole individual found to have any funds that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be spent in jail if he defaulted.

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 money was not submitted.

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