The doctor, who had several house calls to make, pronounced the cause of death as "old age".

The dead man's wife had called the doctor to their house in Riga, Latvia, but according to local media was "too shocked" to tell him what had happened.

The doctor presumed the octogenarian had died in his sleep without checking the body.

His mistake was only revealed when workers at a funeral parlour in the Latvian capital began to prepare the body for cremation and discovered 45 stab wounds.

Police are now questioning the unnamed couple's 33-year-old neighbour in connection with the murder.