A thief who stole a handbag containing a Faberge egg and watch set valued at up to $3 million (£2.2 million) has been sentenced to more than two years in jail.
Enzo Conticello, 29, originally from Algeria, took the Givenchy handbag belonging to a woman standing in the outdoor smoking area of the Dog and Duck pub in Soho, central London, on November 7, 2024.
The £1,600 bag had been placed on the ground by Rosie Dawson, director of premium bands at Craft Irish Whiskey. Inside was a walnut display case containing an 10cm green and gold emerald-encrusted Faberge egg and Faberge watch belonging to Ms Dawson’s employers. It also contained a £1,500 Apple laptop, Apple AirPods, a £350 store voucher, keys, Ms Dawson’s three bank cards, £200 worth of make-up, a Mulberry card holder worth £150 and £20 in cash.
Southwark Crown Court in south London heard on Thursday that Conticello was after “easy money”. He said he handed over the bag – complete with the Faberge egg and watch – to buy drugs.
Court recorder Kate Livesey sentenced him to two years and three months in prison, telling him the “opportunistic” theft had caused “inconvenience and stress” to 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,” Ms Livesey said.
At a hearing in February, Conticello – also known as Hakin Boudjenoune – pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud by false representation and one charge of theft.
He was linked to the handbag theft after trying to use Ms Dawson’s stolen bank cards in a nearby shop within minutes of committing the crime.
Prosecutor Julian Winship told the sentencing hearing: “On November 7, 2024, at just before 10pm, [Ms Dawson] went to the Dog and Duck pub in Soho.
“She was outside the premises in the designated smoking area. She put her handbag on the ground in between her legs and a few minutes later she noticed her handbag was no longer there.”
The court heard Ms Dawson had the Faberge items in her bag after she had taken them to display at a work event earlier that evening.
Mr Winship said Conticello “wanted to obtain some easy cash”, and prosecutors accepted he did not intend to steal the Faberge egg and accompanying watch.
Insurers have paid out £106,700 to the drinks company for the loss but the prosecutor said there are only seven Faberge sets – containing a jewelled egg, watch, whisky bottle, cigars and humidor – in existence.
Three had each been sold for $2 million to $3 million and Faberge was seeking similar amounts for each of the remaining sets.
Conticello’s barrister, Katie Porter-Windley, told the court he had worked as a chef but lost his job during the Covid pandemic and slipped 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 gave the bag to someone to purchase drugs. He had a cocaine addiction at the time.”
Within minutes of her handbag being stolen, Ms Dawson received a fraud alert on her phone at 10.12pm, showing Conticello had tried to use one of her bank cards for a £33.48 purchase at a shop in nearby Berwick Street.
Two further attempts were made to use her cards, at 11.30pm and 12.30am, but they had already been cancelled with the banks.
“Early on Friday morning, the complainant received a message on social media from someone who had found her bank card on the ground between Soho and Charing Cross,” Mr Winship said.
Conticello was arrested for separate theft offences in Belfast in November 2025, more than a year after the handbag theft, and only then was linked to the 2024 crime.
The court heard the Faberge egg and watch have not been recovered, and Mr Winship said efforts to seek confiscation or compensation from Conticello will not be pursued.
Ms Porter-Windley told the court Conticello did not realise how valuable the stolen items were.
When the judge remarked the egg is “quite extraordinary looking”, with an emerald forming part of its exterior, the defence barrister replied: “It is so extraordinary that he wouldn’t know on the face of it whether that was high value or not.”
She said Conticello was homeless at the time and is currently a “man of no means”. He is set to serve up to half the prison term before being released on licence.
The Met Police said it is continuing to hunt for the egg and accompanying watch. Detective Constable Arben Morina, who is 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.
“This theft has had a significant impact on the victim, who was on her way home from a work event when she was targeted. Our investigation to find the egg and the watch is ongoing and we’d urge anyone with information to contact us.”
