A thief who swiped a handbag outside a London pub ended up with far more than he expected—and now he's headed to prison while police hunt for a missing multimillion-dollar Fabergé egg. Enzo Conticello, 29, was sentenced to 27 months at Southwark Crown Court after admitting theft and three counts of fraud by false representation. CCTV caught him trying to lift one bag inside the Dog and Duck pub on 7 November 2024 before moving outside and taking marketing executive Rosie Dawson's handbag from between her legs as she stood chatting in a designated smoking area, the BBC reports. Within minutes, he was using her bank cards in a nearby shop, which eventually led detectives to him, reports the AP.
Inside the stolen bag was a rare emerald-set Fabergé egg and matching watch, taken by Dawson to a work event for luxury drinks firm the Craft Irish Whiskey Company. Prosecutors said only seven such sets exist worldwide, each including a jewelled egg, watch, whisky bottle, cigars and humidor. The 18-carat gold egg, studded with 104 diamonds and housing an uncut Zambian emerald, took more than 100 hours to make; the rose-gold watch weighs 22 carats. Insurers paid the company around $145,000, but the pieces—valued at up to $3 million—are still missing. Prosecutors said Conticello traded the bag for money to buy drugs. He was linked to the crime after he was arrested in Belfast for separate theft offenses more than a year later.
- The court heard Conticello, who also uses the name Hakin Boudjenoune, lost his chef job during the pandemic and developed a cocaine habit, stealing the bag for what a prosecutor called "easy money." His attorney said he did not realise the egg's significance, describing it as so unusual he would not have known its worth. He is "genuinely remorseful," Katie Porter-Windley said.
- The judge, Kate Livesey, called the theft "opportunistic." Dawson "described the particular shock and panic upon realizing 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.
- Prosecutor Julian Winship said authorities would not pursue efforts to seek compensation from Conticello, the Guardian reports. "It appears to me unlikely that the defendant is a person of means able to satisfy" that prosecutorial route, he said.
- Police say the search for the egg and watch continues and are appealing for information.
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