A last-ditch attempt to hear new witnesses in the tribunal case of a nursery teacher who claims her boss invited her to watch pornography in the school office has been thrown out.

An employment tribunal into a case brought by teacher Alison Hilton against Treehouse Nursery in Wanstead finished hearing from witnesses on Friday (November 18).

Miss Hilton claims she was sexually harassed by company secretary, Paul Samouelle, who allegedly asked her to watch a pornographic film called “Jewish Girls Gone Wild” in the nursery office.

The teacher, who is Jewish and had worked at the nursery since 2009, also claims Mr Samoulle 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, Treehouse denies the incidents, which supposedly took place in September 2014, ever happened.

Nursery bosses suspended Miss Hilton in October 2014 after a mobile phone was found in the pocket of her coat, which she was not wearing at the time.

She was later cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal investigation.

The teacher was also being monitored on CCTV by nursery bosses at the time the phone was found.

Treehouse claims this was due to concerns about her “erratic behaviour”, but Miss Hilton’s solicitors say she was monitored to find ways to suspend her before she made a complaint about Mr Samouelle.

The claimant attempted to call several witnesses, former nursery workers who wished to make statements about Mr Samouelle’s previous conduct, late on in the proceedings.

However, Judge Christiana Hyde, presiding over the case, ruled the hearing the evidence last-minute would be prejudicial and would render the case: “unmanageable”.

Written evidence will now be submitted to the tribunal next month, before a decision is made on the outcome of the case.