Pub thief jailed over £2.2m Fabergé theft

Pub Thief Jailed Over £2.2m Fabergé Theft

A thief described as opportunistic stole a Givenchy handbag from a central London pub, which held an emerald-encrusted Fabergé egg and watch valued at up to £2.2 million, resulting in a two-year-plus prison sentence. Enzo Conticello, 29, targeted Rosie Dawson’s bag as she stood outside the Dog and Duck pub in Soho on 7 November 2024.

The stolen items—comprising a jewelled Fabergé egg, watch, whisky bottle, cigars, and a humidor—were in Dawson’s handbag after she brought them to a work event earlier that evening. Despite efforts to recover the bag, it has not been found. Conticello, also known as Hakin Boudjenoune, pleaded guilty to three fraud charges and one theft count during an earlier hearing at Southwark Crown Court.

“On the night in question, it was a moment of opportunity which he took, and he is genuinely remorseful for his behaviour,” said Conticello’s barrister, Katie Porter-Windley.

Conticello was linked to the theft after attempting to use Dawson’s bank cards in a nearby shop shortly after the crime. The court heard he had handed over the bag, which also included a laptop and credit cards, to purchase drugs. Insurers initially compensated £106,700 for the loss, though prosecutors highlighted that only seven Fabergé sets exist globally.

Porter-Windley emphasized Conticello’s lack of awareness regarding the items’ value, noting he had previously worked as a chef before losing his job during the Covid pandemic and falling into cocaine addiction. When Recorder Kate Livesey remarked the egg was “quite extraordinary looking,” the defense argued it was “so extraordinary that he wouldn’t know on the face of it whether that was high value or not.”

Livesey noted the theft caused “inconvenience and stress” to Dawson and her company, citing her shock upon realizing the bag had been stolen. “Ms Dawson described the particular shock and panic upon realising a bag containing items of such particular value owned by the company had been stolen, and the incredible stress this incident has caused her,” she said.

Conticello was arrested for separate thefts in Belfast in November 2025, over a year after the handbag theft. Police continue to search for the Fabergé egg and watch. Det Const Arben Morina, leading the investigation, stated: “Conticello thought nothing of helping himself to someone else’s possessions, and he now faces a prison sentence as a result of his greed.”