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Members of an Italy-based family of thieves who stole over £1.2 million valued of items, including from former NUFC forward Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.

Siblings Valentino and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her son Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of England to raid three houses in spring 2024.

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

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

Particulars of the Burglaries

The judge was told the gang came by ferry in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service service stations while utilizing another car to scout out targets and execute thefts.

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

The following night, the crew entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, and took designer handbags, jewellery and footwear valued at over £100,000.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the residence of Sweden striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall, Ponteland on 4 April, taking £10,000 in money, £68,000 valued of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The gang, who were described by prosecutors as experienced itinerant burglars, used gloves and face coverings, turned their mobile devices off as they approached their objectives and strapped a number plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on April 13.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

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

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the defendants had benefited from their crimes to the value of over £1.2 million, which was based on what the affected parties said they had lost.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "realised", namely over a thousand pounds which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court was informed, with 14 days to be spent in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no assets or assets so were ordered to make a token amount of £1 each, with seven days in prison the consequence if the money was not submitted.

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with property in the coming years, "for example operating in Italy in a fast car or possessing a home", prosecutors could seek further action to "recover the sum due".