Joan Serra, known as "el Pera" (d. 1815). Catalan bandit who terrorised the inhabitants of the area around the town of Valls (province of Tarragona, Catalonia). Serra killed his victims without stealing anything from them, only for the pleasure it gave him, as he himself confessed before being executed. Moreover, after committing a murder, he would go to Valls at night, kneeling in front of the door of the Esglèsia del Carme (Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel), lighting a couple of candles and praying to the Virgin for himself and his victims. After being imprisoned, on 19 December 1815 he was hanged, his remains dragged in a basket by a donkey, later dismembered and his head was exhibited in public in Valls. Other parts of his body were distributed among other towns for public display. Engraving. Historia de las Escuadras de Cataluña, 1876.