The woman whose designer handbag containing a £2million Fabergé egg was swiped from outside a London pub has been left ‘very upset’ by the theft, her mother has revealed.
Rosie Dawson, director of premium bands at Craft Irish Whiskey, was targeted by Algerian drug addict Enzo Conticello, 29, as she greeted a friend outside the Dog and Duck pub in Bateman Street.
Conticello had ‘absolutely no idea’ the bag contained a rare Fabergé egg and watch which had been on display at an event earlier in the evening when he swiped it from the floor.
Conticello also took his victim’s laptop and credit cards, which he used to buy himself a drink and cigarettes in a nearby Co-Op and Nisa Local.
Rosie’s mother Leslie Dawson today told the Daily Mail: ‘Rosie is very upset about it all. The story has gone viral.’
To this day the Fabergé egg and watch, which belong to the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, have never been recovered and Conticello claims he ‘gave them away’.
Speaking from the family’s stunning detached riverside home near Exeter, Devon, Mrs Dawson said she ‘didn’t know’ why insurers had only paid out £106,700 to the drinks company for the loss.
Both the egg and watch remain missing after the theft on November 7, 2024.
On November 20, a 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods after the company that commissioned the egg and watch were approached with questions about the items’ value – but Scotland Yard took no further action.
London has seen a spate of luxury thefts in recent years, with Algerian nationals featuring prominently among suspects ending up in court. Robbers usually operate as part of organised criminal networks, with items quickly exported for sale abroad.
Conticello was sentenced for theft and three charges of fraud by misrepresentation, after using bank cards to purchase cigarettes and other goods at supermarkets in the Soho area.
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.’
Southwark Crown Court heard Ms Dawson had the Fabergé items in her handbag after she had taken them for display at a work event earlier that evening.
Inside the £1,600 bag was an emerald-encrusted Fabergé egg and Fabergé watch belonging to Ms Dawson’s employers.
Also contained were 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.
Mr Winship said Conticello ‘wanted to obtain some easy cash’ and prosecutors accept he did not intend to steal the Fabergé 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 Fabergé sets – containing a jewelled egg, watch, whisky bottle, cigars and humidor – in existence.
Three had been sold for between $2million and $3million each and the company was seeking similar amounts for the remaining four sets.
A walnut wood cabinet containing a bottle of 30-year-old whisky in its central compartment and the gold jewellery sold for $2.8million (£2.1million) in 2024, prompting the firm to call it ‘the most expensive bottle of whiskey ever sold.’
Asked by the judge, Ms Recorder Kate Livesey KC, what Conticello had done with the stolen items, Kate Porter-Windley, defending, said: ‘He gave the bag to someone to purchase drugs.
‘He was a cocaine addict at the time, I am pleased to say he is now eight months clean, but at the time he just gave the bag away.’
She said the Algerian had ‘absolutely no idea’ what the Fabergé items were, adding: ‘I confess I didn’t know what the item was, I had to look it up myself.
‘And it certainly wasn’t known to Mr Conticello. He had absolutely no idea the value of it, none whatsoever.’
But the judge said: ‘It’s quite an extraordinary item, isn’t it?’
Ms Porter-Windley replied: ‘In fairness to Mr Conticello, who was sleeping rough, he simply didn’t recognise it.
‘These offences were committed in circumstances where it looks as though the defendant wanted to obtain some easy cash, and his usage of the cards suggests precisely that.
‘He is not likely to be a man with any significant means at all.’
She added he felt ‘genuine remorse’ for his actions and ‘does not want to be someone tagged as a bag snatcher. It’s certainly not something he wants to do again’.
Conticello appeared in the dock today wearing a grey prison-issue tracksuit, looking unsettled and with arms folded.
Prosecutor Julian Winship said: ‘The Crown does not contradict he did not intend to steal the Fabergé egg and Fabergé watch.
‘But the nature of this type of theft is that sometimes little value would be realised, sometimes a great value would be realised.’
The court was told the insurance company paid out £106,700 for the Fabergé items, though a statement by its owners suggests they have sold for up to $3million as part of a full set, one of seven in existence.
Three ‘bespoke emerald isle sets’ previously sold for $2million, £2.8million, and $3million.
But Mr Winship added: ‘The difference of value may not affect the outcome in this case as this is a high value theft.’
Passing sentence, the judge told Conticello: ‘The basis of your guilty plea is that you were acting opportunistically.
‘I accept the degree of loss was wholly unexpected when you took the bag.’
Quoting a statement by the victim, the judge referred to her ‘particular shock and panic that a bag containing items of such value had been stolen.’
She noted the ‘incredible stress’ the theft had on Ms Dawson, adding: ‘She had called the police almost every day since the incident.’
Conticello has two previous convictions for seven offences, the judge said, most recently for theft, attempted theft, and going equipped for theft on November 8 last year.
He was jailed for 27 months for the leading offence of theft, taking into account his ‘knowledge and intention’ and early guilty plea.
Conticello was also given a six-day jail term for his fraud offences, to be served concurrently.
The judge ordered no costs beyond the statutory surcharge, ‘owing to your inability to pay it’ following a ‘long custodial sentence’.
Conticello remained emotionless during the sentence and only said ‘yes’ to confirm he understood the charges.
Detective Constable Arben Morina, leading the Metropolitan Police’s 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.
‘The defendant never explained to the police what he did with the expensive jewellery. Our investigation to find the egg and the watch is ongoing and we’d urge anyone with information to contact us.’
Conticello, who was in custody and is also known as Hakin Boudjenoune, pleaded guilty to the offences in February.
After Conticello admitted the charges then, Judge Martin Griffiths told him: ‘I expect it was probably quite a surprise to you when you discovered that egg.
‘What you did with it, I don’t quite know, but I expect we’re going to find out.’
The court did not hear exactly how much the Fabergé egg and watch were worth, but was told the items have a minimum value of $2.8million.
The judge previously said he wanted to be ‘certain’ of the jewellery’s value, adding: ‘Unfortunately, you can’t ask Mr Fabergé, can you?’
Metropolitan Police detectives travelled to Belfast to arrest the suspect after the Police Service of Northern Ireland had detained him for an unrelated theft offence.
Officers continue to appeal for information about the missing items and are keen to hear from anyone who may have been offered them for sale or with information about their current whereabouts.
