Dr Bruce Hensel: Ex-NBC medical correspondent who asked girl, 9, to send 'sexy and private' nude pics gets no jail time
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A former NBC correspondent for an LA-based NBC affiliate station, who was accused of asking a minor girl to send him “sexy and private” nude photos, received no jail time after he pleaded no contest, according to a report. Dr Bruce Hensel, 74, apologized to the 9-year-old girl's family and even hugged her father who is an acquaintance as he entered his plea in an LA courtroom on Monday, March 6, 2023.
“I’m terribly sorry for what happened. I’ve done everything I can to understand this isolated thing,” Hensel said, according to New York Post. He pleaded no contest to one count of contacting a minor with the intent to commit a crime. As per the report, the ex-TV doctor for KNBC said that he had never done anything like this before and vowed to never repeat the mistake again while he was speaking about his faith in god.
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Hensel received two years of probation and must register as a sex offender as part of his sentence.
When was Hensel arrested?
The Emmy award winner was arrested in 2019 after he asked a girl for sexually explicit photos through an online messaging app. He worked as the on-air chief medical correspondent for the NBC station in LA and as well as in New York at that time. He joined the station in 1984 and was also a practicing doctor as he was board-certified in internal and emergency medicine.
Hensel texted the child numerous times between March and August 2019, according to records submitted to the state Medical Board. The LA Times reported that he requested photos from the girl that was “sexy and private”.
How did the girl's father react?
According to the report, the girl's father reportedly forgave Hensel after he learned that he underwent treatment since his arrest, but chastised the creep’s behavior earlier in the hearing. “Dr Bruce, you crossed the line and violated the vow of your profession, which is to cause no harm,” the man said. Hensel knew the victim through her mother and the pair talked about financing a movie in which the 9-year-old would star, the newspaper reported.
A spokesperson for NBC told the outlet in 2022 that Hensel was a former employee but refused to give a definite answer when asked if he resigned or was fired.
