Cynthia Mae Moore, 60, is suing her former minister, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton and the Anglican Parish of St. Stephen. She claims her former minister tried twice to kill her while she was in a nearly four-year extramarital affair with Rev. William Morton, her minister at Christ Church in St. Stephen. According to her claims, he threatened to skin her alive and scraped her breasts with a box cutter.

The incident happened at Morton's St. Stephen home on Nov. 24, 2015, according to the notice of action and statement of claim filed with the Court of Queen's Bench in Saint John, CBS News reports. Moore says she left Morton's house and a couple of hours later he showed up at her home and cut her breasts and abdomen with the box cutter.

Morton, who now lives in Fredericton, was convicted in 2016 of two counts of assault with a weapon and received a 15-month conditional sentence — a jail term that can be served in the community, provided the offender abides by court-imposed conditions.

Cynthia Moore met Morton in January 2008 when he worked as the rector at Christ Church where she worked part time in the office. Morton later started counseling Moore about her marriage problems. In February 2012 they started a “romantic relationship” after Morton told her numerous times that he loved her, according to the document. Both she and Morton were married to others.

Their relationship lasted until December 2015, when Morton "intentionally caused her physical harm amounting to battery," it states. Moore claims Morton breached his fiduciary duty when he "took advantage of her vulnerability and commenced a sexual affair, which ended in horrific assault on her person."

Moore says she trusted Morton as her spiritual leader and counselor and he abused that trust. No statements of defense have been filed by any of the defendants yet, and the allegations have not been proven in court.

CBS News aso reports:

She says she had great respect for the clergy and the church, and was an active member of Christ Church, serving in various volunteer positions, including greeter, reader and head server.

Since the attack, Moore says she hasn’t been able to worship there, has “lost the sense of community” and “struggles with feelings of betrayal by the church.”

She is seeking general damages from Morton for battery, breach of trust and fiduciary duty.

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