A disqualified driver who led police on a 13-mile chase at speeds of up to 100mph was arrested after he parked his car and tried to take a taxi home.

Shiva Ram, 23, a German citizen who deliberately swerved his BMW to try to shake off pursuing officers, was jailed for eight months on Wednesday and could be deported.

Stirling Sheriff Court heard the incident began at 2am on February 9 when police came across his car parked with the lights on and three people inside on the entrance road to Blair Drummond Safari Park.

Prosecutor Adrian Fraser said: "The police stopped their car in front of it and walked towards it.

"At that point the accused reversed, before driving forward at speed past the officers and south on the A84 towards Stirling."

Mr Fraser said the police officers activated their blue lights and siren and followed Ram's car, which was hitting speeds of up to 80mph on the single carriageway A84, where the limit is 60mph.

It was swerving from one side of the road to the other in an effort to shake off the police.

Ram went round a roundabout three times near Chalmerston Road on the outskirts of Stirling, again "fishtailing" before joining the M9 at Craigforth and heading north at speeds of up to 100mph.

He drove through residential streets in Dunblane at speeds of up to 60mph before being lost from sight.

Mr Fraser said: "The police involvement was escalated and an area containment was carried out by all available police units."

He said a taxi driver then received a call on his mobile phone to pick up the accused and two others from Dunblane and take them to Glasgow.

The taxi was pulled over by police as it headed out of Dunblane on Doune Road and Ram was arrested.

The cabbie told police he had picked up the accused on Springfield Terrace, Dunblane, and a search revealed the BMW parked and secured nearby.

Ram, of Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, appeared for sentence after pleading guilty in March to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

Richard Lobjoie, defending, said Ram was a university graduate with a BSc in mechanical engineering who had developed problems with substance misuse and had formed "negative peer associations".

Mr Lobjoie said Ram had lived in Scotland since he was six but had, in the light of his offences, now received a Home Office letter stating that since he was now no longer in employment, education or training he was being considered for deportation.

In addition to the jail term, sheriff William Gilchrist banned Ram from driving for a further 32 months.

He said: "You pled guilty to dangerous driving -- having been disqualified last year for dangerous driving.

"A custodial sentence is the only appropriate one."

Ram showed no emotion as he was led handcuffed to the cells.