An “opportunistic” thief has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for stealing a handbag containing a Fabergé egg and watch set worth up to £2.2 million from a pub in central London, England, the United Kingdom.
Enzo Conticello, 29, also known as Hakin Boudjenoune, snatched Rosie Dawson’s handbag on 7 November 2024 while she stood outside the Dog and Duck, leaving it between her legs.
The bag contained the emerald-encrusted Fabergé set, which Dawson had brought for display at a work event earlier that evening. The items have yet to be recovered.
Conticello admitted three charges of fraud by false representation and one count of theft at an earlier hearing and was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court.
CCTV footage showed him attempting to steal another customer’s bag inside the pub before moving outside and taking Dawson’s handbag.
The court heard that Conticello was seeking “easy money” and had handed over the stolen bag, which also contained a laptop and credit cards, to buy drugs.
He was traced after trying to use Dawson’s bank cards in a nearby shop minutes after the theft.
Fabergé, founded in Russia in 1842, is globally celebrated for its luxurious creations, particularly its eggs made of precious metals and gemstones.
Prosecutor Julian Winship said only seven Fabergé sets, including a jewelled egg, watch, whisky bottle, cigars, and humidor, exist.
The egg, crafted from 18‑carat yellow gold, took more than 100 hours to complete, is set with 104 diamonds, and contains an uncut Zambian emerald.
The accompanying watch, inspired by one of the “Seven Wonders of Ireland,” weighs 22 carats and is encased in rose gold.
Conticello’s barrister, Katie Porter-Windley, explained that he had worked as a chef before losing his job during the Covid pandemic and subsequently fell into cocaine addiction.
“On the night in question, it was a moment of opportunity which he took, and he is genuinely remorseful for his behaviour,” she said.
He was arrested for unrelated thefts in Belfast in November 2025, over a year after the Soho robbery, which ultimately linked him to Dawson’s handbag theft. Porter-Windley told the court, “Conticello did not realise how valuable the items were that he had stolen.”
When Recorder Kate Livesey commented that the egg was “quite extraordinary looking,” the barrister added, “It was so extraordinary that he wouldn’t know on the face of it whether that was high value or not.”
Livesey sentenced Conticello to two years and three months, noting that the “opportunistic” crime caused “inconvenience and stress” to Dawson and her company.
“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.
Police are continuing their search for the stolen Fabergé items. Det Con Arben Morina, leading the investigation, said, “Conticello thought nothing of helping himself to someone else’s possessions, and he now faces a prison sentence as a result of his greed.
Our investigation to find the egg and the watch is ongoing and we’d urge anyone with information to contact us.”
