UK Man Jailed for Alleged Theft of Fabergé Egg Bag

A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to more than two years in prison after stealing a handbag containing an emerald-encrusted Fabergé egg and watch set valued at up to £2.2 million from a pub in Soho, London.

Enzo Conticello, who is also known as Hakin Boudjenoune, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court after pleading guilty to one count of theft and three charges of fraud by false representation.

The incident occurred on November 7, 2024, at the Dog and Duck pub. Conticello stole the handbag belonging to Rosie Dawson, the director of premium brands at the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, while she was standing in the smoking area.

The handbag, a Givenchy bag valued at £1,600, contained the Fabergé items which Ms. Dawson had taken for display at a work event earlier that evening. The stolen set included a watch and an egg made from 18-carat yellow gold, which reportedly took more than 100 hours to create.

The Theft and Investigation

CCTV footage from the venue showed Conticello attempting to steal another customer’s rucksack inside the pub before moving outside to take Ms. Dawson’s bag, which had been placed on the ground between her legs.

In addition to the Fabergé treasures, the bag contained several other items:

• An Apple laptop valued at £1,500
• Apple AirPods
• Three bank cards belonging to Ms. Dawson
• A Mulberry card holder worth £150
• A store voucher worth £350
• Approximately £200 worth of makeup
• £20 in cash

Conticello was linked to the crime shortly after it occurred when he attempted to use the stolen bank cards in a nearby shop within minutes of the theft. Following a Metropolitan Police investigation, he was arrested in Belfast on January 26, 2026.

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Conticello was seeking easy money and had handed over the handbag, including the high-value Fabergé items, in order to buy drugs.

Recorder Kate Livesey sentenced Conticello to two years and three months in prison. The judge noted that the opportunistic theft had caused significant stress and inconvenience to both Ms. 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

Recorder Kate Livesey

While the Fabergé items are valued up to £2.2 million, insurers paid out £106,700 for the loss to the Craft Irish Whiskey Company. Prosecutor Julian Winship informed the court that there are only seven such Fabergé sets in existence, which consist of a jewelled egg, watch, whisky bottle, cigars, and a humidor.

The emerald-encrusted egg and watch have not been recovered. At an earlier hearing in February, Judge Griffith remarked that he expected the court would eventually find out what the defendant had done with the luxury items.