A former nursery teacher has claimed the school’s secretary invited her to watch a pornographic film called 'Jewish Girls Gone Wild' at work.

A tribunal heard yesterday (Wednesday, September 14) Alison Hilton, a former teacher at Treehouse Nursery in Wanstead, claimed she was sexually harassed and suffered racial discrimination at work.

At the hearing, Miss Hilton alleged she was sexually harassed by company secretary, Paul Samouelle, on two occasions at the nursery.

The first incident was claimed to have taken place in late September 2014, after Miss Hilton had returned to work after leave to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

She claimed that while she was conducting a risk assessment in the nursery garden, Mr Samouelle approached her.

It is then alleged her told her had had been watching a pornographic website called “Jewish Girls Gone Wild” in the nursery office, before making a gesture, inviting Miss Hilton to join him.

Miss Hilton said: “I asked him whether the nursery owner knew he was watching porn in the office and he told me she did.

“I was terrified, I had no idea what I was supposed to do with that information. No one should have to go through this”

The teacher, who had worked at the nursery since 2009, also claimed a second incident took place outside a classroom the next month.

She alleged Mr Samouelle asked her to come to the nursery’s after school club with him, before miming the action of “bending her over a chair and gyrating his hips”.

However, the nursery denies either of the events took place, claiming Miss Hilton’s account is “completely fabricated”.

Solicitors for Treehouse said the dates and details of the incidents Miss Hilton described had been inconsistent.

The tribunal heard Miss Hilton has been suspended by the nursery in October 2014, after another teacher found a mobile phone in her coat, a breach of safeguarding policies.

The nursery said the teacher went through several disciplinary meetings before claims of sexual harassment by Mr Samouelle were raised.

It also questioned why Miss Hilton had chosen not to report Mr Samouelle if she was aware he was watching pornography on the nursery site and stated the office computer blocked such websites.

The tribunal will hear evidence until Friday, before publishing its verdict in the coming weeks.