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Members of an Italian family of thieves who took over £1.2 million valued of items, including from former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling 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 jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.

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

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 a service area and Durham rest stops while using a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they stole over one million pounds of items such as high-end fashion, purses, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the owners were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang broke into a house on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, jewellery and shoes worth over £100,000.

After scouting out Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then acted at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on April 4, taking ten thousand pounds in cash, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 Audi RS6.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as experienced touring burglars, used gloves and face coverings, turned their phones on silent as they approached their objectives and attached a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their car with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham on April 13.

Court Hearings and Rulings

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

At the proceeds of crime session, prosecutor the prosecution said every one of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the victims said they had lost.

But Charlie was the sole individual deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in prison if he defaulted.

The other three had no money or assets so were directed to make a token amount of £1 per person, with seven days in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "such as operating in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could seek further action to "satisfy the amount outstanding".