UK court jails man who stole Faberge egg in a handbag

London: A man who stole a handbag containing a Faberge egg and watch worth at least $2.8 million (£2.0 million) from a London establishment was jailed on Thursday for more than two years.

Enzo Conticello, 29, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to one count of theft and three counts of fraud.

He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to a total of 27 months in prison.

Prosecutor Julian Winship said the victim's Givenchy handbag, worth £1,600, was stolen from the smoking area outside the Dog and Duck establishment in Soho, central London, in November 2024.

The bag contained a green and gold, emerald-encrusted Faberge egg and watch, as well as a laptop, wallet, AirPods and her bank cards.

"This is an unusual case," acknowledged judge Kate Livesey, describing the victim's shock and panic when she discovered her handbag had gone.

The Faberge egg and watch, which had been part of a display at a work event that evening, have not been recovered, the court heard.

Conticello, who is also known as Hakin Boudjenoune, used the stolen bank cards to attempt purchases at nearby supermarkets shortly after the theft.

The stolen items were part of a limited series of seven bespoke "Emerald Isle" sets, each comprising a Faberge egg, a Faberge watch, a handcrafted bottle and a cigar humidor, the court heard.

Three of the sets had been sold to private clients for between $2.0 million and $3.0 million.

Livesey said Conticello, who had worked as a chef before losing his job, had acted "opportunistically" and had "no knowledge of the contents of the bag".

He later exchanged the stolen items for drugs, without realising how valuable they were.

His lawyer, Katie Porter-Windley, said Conticello had been homeless and suffered from cocaine addiction.

He will serve half the sentence in jail and then be released under licence.