Pub thief jailed over £2.2m Fabergé theft
Pub thief jailed over £2.2m Fabergé theft
A 29-year-old man, Enzo Conticello, has received a two-year-and-three-month prison sentence for stealing a Givenchy handbag from a central London pub. The bag contained a rare Fabergé egg, a watch, and other items valued at up to £2.2 million, which were later found to be missing and unrecovered.
The theft occurred on 7 November 2024, as Rosie Dawson stood outside the Dog and Duck pub in Soho. Conticello, also known as Hakin Boudjenoune, took the handbag containing the prized items, which Dawson had brought out for display at a work event that same evening. The items included an emerald-encrusted Fabergé egg, a watch, a whisky bottle, cigars, and a humidor.
Conticello was linked to the crime after using Dawson’s bank cards in a nearby shop shortly after the theft. Prosecutors argued that the thief had targeted the bag for “easy money” and handed it over to purchase drugs. The court heard he pleaded guilty to three fraud charges and one theft count. Insurers initially covered £106,700 of the loss, but the prosecutor emphasized that only seven Fabergé sets exist globally, highlighting the items’ exceptional value.
Background and defense arguments
Conticello’s barrister, Katie Porter-Windley, revealed his previous role as a chef and his job loss during the pandemic, which led to a cocaine addiction. She stated that Conticello seized the opportunity during the theft and was unaware of the items’ worth. “He didn’t realize how valuable the contents were,” she said, noting that the stolen Fabergé egg was described as “quite extraordinary looking” by the judge, but Conticello might not have recognized its significance at first.
“On the night in question, it was a moment of opportunity which he took, and he is genuinely remorseful for his behaviour,” said Porter-Windley.
Recorder Kate Livesey highlighted the “inconvenience and stress” caused to Dawson and her company, stressing the shock of discovering the bag’s contents were stolen. “Ms Dawson described the particular shock and panic upon realizing a bag containing items of such particular value owned by the company had been stolen,” Livesey added.
Conticello was arrested in Belfast in November 2025, over a year after the theft, for separate incidents. Police continue to search for the Fabergé egg and watch, with Det Const Arben Morina commenting, “Conticello thought nothing of helping himself to someone else’s possessions, and he now faces a prison sentence as a result of his greed.”
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