A multi-millionaire Forest of Dean-born businessman on the run from the law has thrown his name into the hat for the United States of America's presidential campaign.

If you think you have heard it all with respect to 'stories' about the US presidential elections in recent years then think on.

The player to put his name in lights - or rather with a publicity stunt in Time Square, New York - is one John David McAfee, born on a US army base in the Forest of Dean in 1945.

To top it all, the British Born businessman and computer programmer, who founded the software company McAfee Associates in 1987 and ran it until 1994, is currently residing off-shore as he's being sought on charges of tax evasion by US authorities.

A quick search of the internet for Mr McAfee, now in his 70s, brings up a baffling array of headlines from Fox News' 'John McAfee is running from U.S. authorities - and running for President. On a boat.' to the possibly more illuminating 'John McAfee Is 73, Very Stoned, and Running for President'.

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For a man who does not seem to do anything conventionally, if he can help it, his bizarre campaign - which involves recruiting scores of people to act as his doppelganger with lookalike masks - uses the slogan 'Don't Vote For Me'.

The McAfee 2020 Potus Campaign website is now live. We currently have approximately 1,000 volunteers. We need more. If interested, contact our campaign manager, Rob Loggia @Loggiaonfire.https://t.co/JQiWz7FqDG

— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) January 10, 2019

In a video posted on January 22 Mr McAfee tells anyone that will listen: "We have thousands of volunteers. Rob and one of our other volunteers are creating masks of my face, which are going to be given to thousands of people in two different groups.

"First, our road warriors. Who, once a month, are going to appear in parks, street corners, restaurants all around America while I speak through loudspeakers through them.

"Group two are people who will be going to conferences doing keynotes and debates."

Non-Brexit news! @BBCGlos @GlosLiveOnline @PunchlineGlos A maverick millionaire born in the Forest of Dean is running for US President, from a yacht to avoid jail for tax fraud, using puzzling campaign slogan ‘Don’t Vote McAfee’! https://t.co/08F4GsC9Kv https://t.co/XrsmiFGaSK

— Martin Horwood (@MartinChelt) March 27, 2019

In an article by Fox News's Brooke Crothers, Mr McAfee is quoted as saying: "My campaign platform contains one item: how do we free ourselves from a government that no longer serves us, but instead has become our master - controlling our every action, down to the detail of what we may or may not put into our bodies and minds.

"Our two-party system created a voting process which is an illusion, and a government that fluctuates between two extremes - each extreme annulling any progress made by the opposition in the prior administration. It is a government that has gone insane. While we carry the burden of this government we are not free."

The McAfee business built its early success on the first commercial antivirus software for computers.