Leonard Cohen's ex-manager jailed for harassment

Leonard Cohen with his former manager and lover, Kelley Lynch

There ain't no cure for love but an 18-month prison sentence might go some way towards persuading Leonard Cohen's former mistress and business manager to consign their tattered relationship to the dustbin.

Kelley Lynch, who worked with Mr Cohen for 17 years before being sacked in 2004, is now behind bars after a court in Los Angeles found her guilty of violating restraining orders by sending him thousands of abusive emails and phone messages. Her sentencing brings to a temporary close a bizarre scandal in which the 77-year-old singer was defrauded of millions of dollars.

A judge said that Lynch, 55, continued to show "no remorse" after being found guilty last week of violating protective orders and of harassment. The court heard how she left hundreds of explicit phone messages with his friends and family.

Lynch's campaign of harassment began in 2004 when Mr Cohen suddenly sacked her, saying that she had stolen $5m (£3.1m) from his bank accounts and other investments. A court in Los Angeles agreed, ordering Lynch – who for a brief period had also been the singer's lover – to pay him $9.5m in compensation. However, she failed to pay. In 2008, Mr Cohen toured for the first time in 15 years, apparently to pay the debts he was saddled with.