A man who snatched a handbag outside a central London pub has left a priceless Faberge egg and a gold watch worth 2 million Pounds (approximately Rs 21.4 crore) still missing, after he traded the bag away for drugs without realising what was inside, according to The Metro.
Enzo Conticello, 29, stole the Givenchy handbag from outside the Dog and Duck pub in Bateman Street, London, on 7 November 2024. The bag belonged to Rosie Dawson, an employee of the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, who had been carrying the items after displaying them at a work event earlier that evening. She had placed her bag on the ground in the designated smoking area outside the pub when it was taken, as per the news story.
Inside the bag were a four-inch-tall emerald-encrusted Faberge egg and a rose-gold watch with a brown leather strap, both belonging to her employer. The items are part of a limited edition run of just seven sets ever made. A similar set sold alongside a rare bottle of whiskey for $2.8 million (2 million Pounds/Rs 21.4 crore) in 2024. The bag also contained more than 2,000 Pounds worth (approximately Rs 2.14 lakh) of Ms Dawson's personal belongings, including a laptop, headphones and bank cards.
Conticello was caught after attempting to use Ms Dawson's stolen bank cards at a nearby shop within minutes of the theft. Prosecutor Julian Winship told Southwark Crown Court that he had been looking for easy money and later exchanged the bag, still containing the Faberge items, to obtain drugs.
His barrister, Katie Porter-Windley, told the court that Conticello had lost his job as a chef during the pandemic and subsequently fallen into a cocaine addiction. When Judge Recorder Kate Livesey described the egg as quite extraordinary looking, noting the emerald set into its exterior, the defence barrister argued that her client would not have known at first glance whether the item was of high value or not.
Conticello, also known as Hakin Boudjenoune, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft. He was sentenced to two years and three months in prison and will serve half that time before being released on licence. The judge noted she would ordinarily have ordered him to pay 3,000 Pounds (approximately Rs 3.21 lakh) in compensation to Ms Dawson but declined to do so as he had no means of paying.
Insurers have since paid out 106,700 Pounds (approximately Rs 1.14 crore) to the Craft Irish Whiskey Company for the loss. However, the Faberge egg and watch have never been recovered and remain missing to this day.
