Severed horse head is dumped on businessman's property in Sicily

A severed horse's head has been left on the property of a Sicilian businessman in a scene straight out of Mafia blockbuster The Godfather.

Officers from the organised crime unit which specialises in rackets were called by the unidentified construction contractor after he made the grizzly discovery in the cab of a bulldozer.

In the 1972 classic film, which stars Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, a horse's head is placed in the bed of ruthless movie producer Jack Woltz after he refuses to give a role to Corleone's godson.

Woltz's horrific blood curdling screams as he sees the head of his thoroughbred have gone down in cinema history and made the scene iconic - aided by Brando's line of: 'I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.'

The chilling real-life warning was made in Altofonte, a small village on the outskirts of Palermo in the Mafia stronghold of Sicily and didn't end with the horse's head.

Police also revealed mobsters brutally slaughtered a pregnant cow, removed the unborn calf and placed it on the animal's body in another menacing threat.

A local newspaper described the gruesome discoveries as 'like scenes from a horror movie'.

The target of the attacks is said to be a well-known figure in his local community who regularly carries out building work for local councils. 

Altofonte mayor Angela De Luca said: 'I'm left shocked and I just can't fathom the depth of depravity and barbarity.

'I would like to express my solidarity and that of my colleagues to the businessman who is a trusted member of the local community.

'The whole town has been left deeply upset by this gesture which appears to take us back to the Middle Ages because of its unacceptable methods, this is not a simple criminal gesture it's barbarian.

'I put my faith and trust in the forces of law and order who are working continuously to try and understand what happened and to identify those responsible for such a terrible act.'

Local politician Edy Tamajo slammed the 'vile act' and expressed his "firm condemnation.' 

'This act of unheard-of cruelty represents a mafia mentality that must be eradicated,' he said. 

'It is essential that the Carabinieri and the judiciary shed full light on this episode and bring those responsible to justice.'

President of the Order of Architects of the Province of Palermo, Iano Monaco said in a statement that the society shared 'solidarity and support for the entrepreneur who was the victim of violent intimidation', and stood ready to help in any way it could.

A police spokesman said they were investigating the incident and checking CCTV as well as speaking to the businessman.

The Godfather was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and it later emerged that a real horse's head had been used in the film after being obtained from a local slaughterhouse.

A year after its release the film won three Academy Awards including Best Actor for Brando, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay making almost $300 million at the box office.

The Sicilian Mafia - known as the Cosa Nostra - became one of the world's biggest and most powerful organised crime groups since their beginnings in the 19th century.

Its bloody reputation has given way to more white collar crime in recent years, steering away from murders which attract the attention of authorities.