If anyone had a sense something was amiss in the Brisbane suburb of Brookfield on the night Allison Baden-Clay disappeared, it was her neighbours" dogs. Mrs Baden-Clay's husband Gerard Baden-Clay, who is charged with her murder, fronted Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday for the start of a committal hearing. An artist's sketch of Gerard Baden-Clay in court on Monday. Wearing a dark suit, black-rimmed glasses and his gold wedding band, Mr Baden-Clay sat in the far back corner of an enclosed glass dock as Court 17 heard from seven residents. Each neighbour recalled being disturbed by barking or howling dogs on the night Mrs Baden-Clay was last seen alive. Some also reported hearing an ""unpleasant human noise"," like a scream or a short, sharp yell. None, however, thought to alert police. Susan Braun, owner of the Brookfield Tennis Centre, reported hearing her neighbour's dogs barking earlier than usual that night. And she was woken about 11.30pm by a strange noise coming from the direction of the Baden-Clay's nearby house. Julie Ann and Kim Tzvetkoff also heard the scream through their open kitchen door, although they recalled hearing it about 9pm. Their dog was among those barking and agitated that night. ""I feel it was a startled, shocked reaction,"" Mr Tzvetkoff said in an attempt to describe the noise. ""I would not describe it was a scream ... there were maybe two words. ""It was short, sharp and no more."" Ann Whittle was woken twice that night by the dogs" barking. Fiona White was standing at her back door or when she heard the scream. ""I thought to myself, "I hope she's OK,""" she said. Brian Mason, who lives on an Anstead property about 800 metres from Kholo Creek, said his German Shepherd started barking about 12.30am on April 20. He also recalled hearing muffled voices from the direction of Kholo Creek Bridge. Meanwhile, David Jenkinson heard unusual noises from his Karalee property. He not only heard a scream, but two loud thuds in the vicinity of Kholo Creek Bridge, and the sound of a car door closing some time later. "It was like throwing a bag of concrete onto grass ... that's how I can describe it,"" he said. The committal hearing began before a packed courtroom on Monday morning, where Mr Baden-Clay's defence team set about suggesting his wife may have taken her own life. Under cross-examination Kerry-Anne Walker, close friend of Mrs Baden-Clay, confirmed the mother-of-three battled depression ""on and off"" for 12 years. But Ms Walker, a Flight Centre travel agent, said Mrs Baden-Clay's condition never stopped her ""functioning"." Ms Walker, who was the first witness to take the stand, said her friend would withdraw at times during their friendship, but insisted she was not concerned about Mrs Baden-Clay's state of mind in the months before her disappearance. Mr Baden-Clay is charged with murdering his wife and interfering with her body, which was found on the banks of Kholo Creek, 10 days after she disappeared on April 20 last year. Mr Baden-Clay told police he awoke that morning to find his wife missing. He referred to significant difficulties in the marriage, and the insurance payouts Mr Baden-Clay stood to receive upon his wife's death. More than 40 witnesses, including former Queensland housing minister Bruce Flegg, are expected to be called during the committal hearing, which has been set down for six days.