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Members of an Italy-based clan of burglars who stole over £1.2 million valued of items, including from ex- NUFC striker Isak, have been mandated to return just £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their sister Jela and her child Charlie travelled to the north-east of the UK to raid three houses in April 2024.

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

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

Details of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang came by boat in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service stations while using another car to scout out properties and carry out thefts.

On March 31 they stole over £1m of items such as high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a CBE medal from a house on a street in Jesmond, while the residents were away.

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

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, sixty-eight thousand pounds worth of jewelry and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound luxury car.

The gang, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, turned their mobile devices on silent as they approached their objectives and attached a number plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

Valentino had denied the burglary plot but was convicted by the court, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the same charge.

At the criminal gains session, prosecutor Daniel Cordey said every one of the burglars had benefited from their offenses to the value of over £1.2 million, which was determined by what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "recovered", specifically over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by police, the court was informed, with two weeks to be served in jail if he failed to pay.

The remaining members had no assets or property so were directed to make a token amount of £1 each, with one week in incarceration the consequence if the sum was not paid.

Judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the future, "for example driving around in Italy in a fast car or owning a property", prosecutors could initiate new proceedings to "satisfy the sum outstanding".