Pub thief jailed over £2.2m Fabergé theft

Pub Thief Jailed for £2.2m Fabergé Heist

A thief who took advantage of a momentary lapse in security to steal a handbag holding a Fabergé egg and a watch set valued at up to £2.2 million from a pub in central London has received a two-year-and-three-month prison sentence. Enzo Conticello, 29, was identified as the culprit after he pocketed Rosie Dawson’s bag, which she had left between her legs on the ground outside the Dog and Duck in Soho on 7 November 2024.

Stolen Items and Uncovered Crime

The handbag contained a gem-encrusted Fabergé egg, along with a watch set and other valuables. These items were intended for display at a company event that evening but were never recovered. Conticello, who also goes by the name Hakin Boudjenoune, was linked to the theft after using Dawson’s bank cards in a nearby shop shortly after the incident.

“On the night in question, it was a moment of opportunity which he took,” stated Conticello’s barrister, Katie Porter-Windley. “He is genuinely remorseful for his actions and had no idea of the items’ true worth at the time.”

Conticello had previously worked as a chef but lost his job during the pandemic and fell into cocaine addiction. His defense highlighted that he handed over the bag to purchase drugs, believing it to be a simple act of theft. However, the court noted that the stolen items were part of a rare collection, with only seven complete Fabergé sets existing globally.

Impact and Legal Proceedings

Prosecutor Julian Winship stressed the severity of the loss, noting that insurers initially covered £106,700 of the damage to Dawson’s employers at the Craft Irish Whiskey Company. Recorder Kate Livesey emphasized the “opportunistic” nature of the crime, which caused significant distress to Dawson and her organization. “The shock and panic Ms Dawson felt upon discovering the bag was missing were profound,” Livesey remarked.

Conticello was arrested in Belfast in November 2025 for separate thefts, more than a year after the London incident, and later connected to the 2024 crime. Police continue the search for the missing Fabergé items, with Det Con Arben Morina noting, “He treated the theft as an everyday occurrence, driven by greed, and now faces the consequences of his actions.”