Des Taviner

Infobox character
name = Des Taviner


caption = Paul Usher as PC Des Taviner
first = 4 May 2001
last = 22 October 2003
cause = Died in custody
occupation = Police Officer
title = Police Constable
callsign = 432
portrayer = Paul Usher

Police Constable 432 Des Taviner was a fictional character in ITV's police drama "The Bill". He was played by Paul Usher from 2001 to 2003.

The Sun Hill Fire

Des is initially very good at his job, ex Robbery squad, and his friendship with Reg later provides them with a "good cop/bad cop" technique that is very successful at times. After the death of Chief Inspector Derek Conway, Des is determined to make the largest donation to a collection going around the station. When apprehending a teenage suspect he finds to be in possession of a large sum of money, Des stole the money and contributed it to the collection fo Conway. After finding out that the notes were counterfeit, Des panics and seizes race riots occurring outside the station to destroy the notes. In perhaps his most famous scene, Des throws a petrol bomb into Inspector Andrew Monroe office, where the notes are being held. At this time, Sun Hill is in the middle of redevelopment, and the redevelopers had keep some highly inflammable items in the building. Des's petrol bomb causes the famous Sun Hill fire, leading to the death of six police officers.

Downfall

After working to conceal his role in the fire, Des frames an extremeist and then goes on leave in an attempt to put the events behind him. Upon returning to Sun Hill, Des risks his own life to save a victim engulfed in a burning car. While being treated for his injuries, Des confesses his crimes to Reg, and after becoming convinced his colleague will turn him in, he contemplates suicide. When Reg tells him he thought he had suffered enough, Des decides he will just have to put the whole thing behind him the best he could. Not long afterwards, he starts falling for Sheelagh Murphy, and upon getting her pregnant he is prepared to settle down and raise a family with her. His past comes back to haunt him however, when he confesses his role in the Sun Hill fire to her, and in return she demands he confess to Superintendent Adam Okaro. Once more believing his time is up, Des drives himself and Reg into a burning building. Reg is rescued, however nothing more than the remains of Des's radio are recovered. Unknown to the officers at Sun Hill, Des faked his own death to go on the run.

Final days

While on the run, Des meets up with Sheelagh and asks her and the baby to join him. She refuses and reveals to him that the baby had died, and that it had happened while PC Cameron Tait had been babysitting. Des immediately takes Cameron hostage, however he soon comes to realise that he actually blames himself, and he is just using Cameron to compensate, so he releases him unharmed. Regardless, he once more asks Sheelagh to join him on the run and this time she agrees, however unknown to him she is working undercover for MIT to bring him to justice. Their plans fail, and Des is forced back into hiding. He surfaces one more time to apologise to Reg for all the grief he put him through, however Inspector Gold had suspected he would attempt to contact his best friend again and had been watching him. Des is arrested for the murder of his colleagues and taken into custody. While awaiting trial, Des is beaten to death in his cell by a manic depressive.