The Death Row Records co-founder is fighting hit-and-run and murder charges after he struck two men with his pick-up truck during an altercation on a film set in Compton, Los Angeles in January (15). The incident left his friend Terry Carter dead and actor Cle 'Bone' Sloan injured.

Knight has been behind bars at Los Angeles County Jail since turning himself in to police on 30 January (15) and prosecutors have since had him banned from using the phone or receiving visits from relatives, according to his lawyer, Matthew Fletcher.

The legal representative also alleges a forensic professional, who Fletcher wants to use as an expert witness, has not been allowed to visit Knight, effectively putting his case for defence in jeopardy.

Fletcher tells the New York Daily News, "If experts can't speak to him, they can't do their job. We will never be able to present a defence. This truly should shock people.

"This is the most important time for him to have access to lawyers and experts. He's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. They wouldn't allow this at Guantanamo Bay (controversial U.S. detention camp in Cuba)."

Fletcher goes on to claim his client has been forced to sleep on the floor of his cell because his mattress is too small for his bulky frame, and fears he suffered a stroke in custody after struggling with multiple health issues.

However, Knight has refused doctors' request to give him an MRI scan amid fears the magnetic technology could cause a bullet, which has been lodged in his skull since 1996, to move and kill him. He sustained the injury during the drive-by shooting which led to his artist Tupac Shakur's death days later.

He is also battling health problems related to a club shooting last summer (14), when he was hit multiple times, which have caused him to collapse in court on four occasions in recent weeks.

Knight, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on 13 April (15).