The 54-year-old lawyer, who represented several prominent Melbourne gangland and Calabrian crime figures, was shot as he walked to his car after closing his gelataria and café at around 12:40 for the evening. His body was found by a rubbish truck driver who called emergency services at around 3am.

He was allegedly wanted dead by the Calabrian mafia; court documents show that there was a $200,000 contract on his head that had been increased to $500,000 in recent months. But he had cut ties with many of his former Calabrian mafia clients.

According to a report by The Age, he had been warned by police that his life was in danger, but he refused to take safety precautions. ‘I'm isolated. They can't physically harm me,’ he told the Herald Sun recently.

Formerly the president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce, Mr Acquaro was known in his community as a lawyer and businessman who would help disadvantaged Calabrians. His café, which he started running five years ago, was damaged in a suspicious fire in January. Detective Inspector Hughes said that while the blaze would be examined, it appeared to be unrelated to Mr Acquaro's brutal death.

Police are now looking into CCTV footage in the hope that they may be able to see the car used by the shooter. Sources: Herald Sun; The Age