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Members of an Italy-based family of burglars who stole more than £1.2m worth of goods, including from former NUFC striker Alexander Isak, have been ordered to pay back just £1 per person.

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

The group of four were jailed for from a decade or less in 2025.

At a proceeds of crime proceeding at Newcastle Crown Court, Jela and the Nikolov brothers were instructed to repay £1 each while Charlie must hand over over a thousand pounds.

Particulars of the Break-ins

The judge was told the group arrived by boat in the UK on 27 March 2024 and employed a RV as their "headquarters", which they stationed at a service area and Durham service rest stops while utilizing a separate vehicle to search for properties and carry out thefts.

On 31 March they took more than £1m of goods including designer clothing, purses, jewellery and a honor from a residence on Clayton Road in Jesmond, while the residents were on holiday.

The next evening, the crew entered a home on a gated cul-de-sac in Whitburn, South Tyneside, and stole luxury bags, valuables and shoes valued at more than one hundred thousand pounds.

Following surveillance of Newcastle United's training ground for 48 hours, they then struck at the home of Swedish striker Alexander Isak in Darras Hall on April 4, stealing £10,000 in money, £68,000 worth of jewellery and the player's one hundred twenty thousand pound Audi RS6.

The gang, who were described by the prosecution as professional touring burglars, wore hand coverings and masks, switched their mobile devices on silent as they approached their targets and strapped a license plate, which had been stolen from a auto shop in a town, on to their vehicle with elastic bands.

They were apprehended in the Birmingham area on 13 April.

Court Hearings and Rulings

Valentino Nikolov had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to burglary but was convicted by jurors, while his three relations had all submitted guilty pleas to the identical accusation.

At the proceeds of crime session, lawyer Daniel Cordey said each of the defendants had profited from their offenses to the value of £1,266,285.93, which was based on what the victims said they had had stolen.

But Charlie was the only one deemed to have any money that could be "recovered", specifically £1,135.50 which had previously been confiscated by authorities, the court heard, with two weeks to be served in jail if he defaulted.

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

The judge Spragg said if they were discovered with assets in the coming years, "for example operating in Italy in a sports car or owning a property", the prosecution could seek new proceedings to "satisfy the amount outstanding".