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Individuals of an Italy-based family of thieves who took more than £1.2m worth of goods, including from former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back only £1 each.

Siblings Valentino Nikolov and Giacomo Nikolov, their female sibling Jela and her child Charlie journeyed to the northeastern of the UK to burgle multiple homes in spring 2024.

The group of four were jailed for between six and 10 years in 2025.

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

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge was told the gang arrived by ferry in the UK on March 27, 2024 and used a campervan as their "base of operations", which they stationed at Scotch Corner and Durham service rest stops while using another car to search for targets and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they took more than one million pounds of items including high-end fashion, handbags, jewellery and a honor from a house on a street in Jesmond, Newcastle, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the gang entered a house on a private road in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and took designer handbags, valuables and shoes worth more than one hundred thousand pounds.

After scouting out the football club's training ground for two days, they then struck at the residence of Swedish striker Mr Isak in Darras Hall on 4 April, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewelry and the striker's £120,000 luxury car.

The group, who were portrayed by the prosecution as professional touring thieves, used gloves and masks, turned their mobile devices off as they neared their objectives and strapped a license plate, which had been taken from a auto shop in Chester-le-Street, on to their vehicle with rubber straps.

They were arrested in the Birmingham on April 13.

Legal Hearings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had denied conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his family members had all submitted admissions to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, lawyer the prosecution said every one of the burglars had benefited from their crimes to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was determined by what the affected parties said they had had stolen.

But Charlie Jovanovic was the only one deemed to have any funds that could be "realised", namely £1,135.50 which had already been seized by authorities, the judge heard, with 14 days to be served in jail if he defaulted.

The remaining members had no money or property so were directed to pay a nominal fee of £1 each, with seven days in incarceration the result if the money was not paid.

Judge Robert Spragg said if they were found with property in the coming years, "for example operating Italy in a sports car or owning a home", the prosecution could seek further action to "recover the sum due".