The theft occurred after Rosie Dawson had displayed the Fabergé items at a work event earlier on November 7, 2024, according to multiple reports. She placed them in her Givenchy bag, valued at £1,600, which also contained a MacBook Air, Apple AirPods, a Mulberry card holder worth £150, bank cards, and other personal belongings. CCTV footage captured Conticello inside the pub attempting to target another customer before stealing Dawson's bag, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. The Fabergé egg and watch set's value is disputed, with some reports claiming £2.2 million and others £2 million, a discrepancy that affects the perceived scale of the theft and insurance assessments.
Enzo Conticello, also known as Hakin Boudjenoune, is an Algerian drug addict, according to multiple reports. After the theft, he used Rosie Dawson's bank cards to make purchases, including a transaction at a Co-Op on Berwick Street for £33.48. Conticello admitted to theft and three counts of fraud by false representation at Southwark crown court last week, according to research. Prosecutors accepted that Conticello did not intend to steal the Fabergé egg and watch; they stated he wanted to obtain some easy cash. Judge Martin Griffiths remarked during the proceedings that he expected it was probably quite a surprise to Conticello when he discovered the egg, and what he did with it remains unknown but may be uncovered.
I gave away the Fabergé items.
Conticello was sentenced for theft and fraud charges related to using the bank cards, multiple reports indicate. According to Daily Mail - News, Enzo Conticello described giving away the Fabergé items, though their current whereabouts remain unknown. Insurers paid out £106,700 to Craft Irish Whiskey Company for the loss, according to multiple reports. A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods on November 20, 2024, but no further action was taken by Scotland Yard, multiple reports indicate. The exact identity and role of this man, and why no further action was taken, are unresolved questions in the ongoing investigation.
London has seen a spate of luxury thefts in recent years, with Algerian nationals often involved in organised criminal networks, according to multiple reports. This context highlights the broader challenge facing law enforcement in the capital. Jay Bradley, founder of Craft Irish Whiskey, was seen at his restaurant Boha London after the theft, seemingly unaffected, according to multiple reports. According to Daily Mail - News, Leslie Dawson described Rosie as very upset about the theft, contrasting with Bradley's apparent calm. The stolen Fabergé egg may have been a modern Fabergé egg: a Celtic Egg, one of seven made in 2021 as part of a Craft Irish Whiskey Company collaboration with Fabergé, according to research. Whether it is confirmed to be this modern Celtic Egg or a different type remains uncertain.
Rosie is very upset about the theft.
The truly valuable Fabergé eggs are the pre-Revolutionary ones: those crafted in Russia by jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in the years up to and including 1917, according to research. Over a period of 30 years, the House of Fabergé made 50 Easter eggs for the Russian Imperial family. Every Imperial Fabergé egg contained a surprise to be discovered by the recipient, such as the miniature working train in the Trans-Siberian Railway Egg of 1900 or the songbird in the 1911 Bay Tree egg. Apart from seven missing eggs, most of the Imperial eggs are in museums or private collections, with King Charles having three. The eggs appear only rarely at auction, with the Winter Egg of 1913 selling at Christie’s in December for £22.9 million.
The fate of the stolen items is unresolved, with ongoing investigations by the Metropolitan Police. The full details of Conticello's sentencing, including specific charges and any prison time or penalties imposed, have not been publicly disclosed. His current whereabouts and activities following the court proceedings are also unknown. This case underscores the vulnerabilities in securing high-value items in public spaces and the complexities of recovering stolen luxury goods. As London grapples with similar incidents, the lack of recovery for the Fabergé set highlights persistent gaps in tracking and retrieving such items.